Darwin Núñez distinguished himself for Uruguay with three goals in the international friendly between La Celeste and Mexico at Empower Field at Mile High stadium in Denver, Colorado.

Due to his constant involvement in Marcelo Bielsa’s team’s attack and his aptitude for seeing gaps in the opposition’s defence, “La Pantera” wreaked havoc on the Mexican team. From the beginning of the game, the Liverpool forward was a constant threat, as seen by a couple long balls to Araújo and Brian Rodríguez, which saw him run into open space.

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In the seventh minute, he scored the first goal, making it 1-0, after latching onto a low cross from Nández. Before he could finish accurately to put the ball in the net, Rangel made a half-save. He headed a cross from Nández wide to the far post after around twenty-five minutes. Then, at 44 minutes, he returned with a bang, setting up a quick defense-to-attack play in which he launched Maximiliano Araújo down the left before meeting the low cross from the Toluca winger in the middle to finish 3-0.

The opposition was once again in chaos at the start of the second half thanks to Núñez. He outran Víctor Guzmán in the 46th minute, finished across the goal, and then, after Rangel deflected the ball, made a crucial save to end the threat. A few minutes later, the Celeste striker was in the six-yard box to tap in the ball after a superb assist from Pellistri, making it 4-0 and earning his first hat-trick for his nation.

In addition to his contributions both with and without the ball in attack, Darwin was in charge of starting every defensive play, pressing the opposition’s build-up on the wings, and covering their custodian when Mexico played out of the back.

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Núñez, who has eight goals and an assist in his last five games for his country, is the main offensive danger for Uruguay under Bielsa going into the Copa América. He played a fantastic match against Mexico, showcasing his increasing maturity as a forward.