Luis Diaz, who made his debut for Liverpool on Sunday, lifted his jersey to reveal a T-shirt that read “Libertad Para Papa” (Freedom for Papa). Diaz had been missing since his parents were abducted in his native Colombia.
In the fifth minute of stoppage time, Diaz scored a goal to give Liverpool a 1-1 draw against Luton in the Premier League. He then sent out a message for his father, who is still missing following his kidnapping by the National Liberation Army, also known as the ELN.
Last weekend, both of Diaz’s parents were taken to the small Colombian town of Barrancas; however, his mother was saved by police in a matter of hours.
After missing two Liverpool games, Diaz returned to training on Thursday. He declared himself ready to play against Luton, and manager Jurgen Klopp chose to start him on the bench. He entered the game in the 83rd minute and, off a cross from Harvey Elliott, saved Liverpool from humiliation.
Prior to the match, Klopp stated that “positive” talks regarding Diaz’s father’s release were ongoing.
After a Liverpool corner, Luton launched a counterattack in the 80th minute, and Tahith Chong appeared to be the game-winning goal. It would have been Luton’s historic victory in the Premier League during its inaugural campaign.
MARTINEZ’S ERROR
It could have been a spectacular save by Emi Martinez. In the end, the Argentina goalkeeper made a big error. Aston Villa was already trailing 1-0 to Nottingham Forest when Martinez attempted to save midfielder Orel Mangala’s long-range shot with his outstretched left hand. He only succeeded in palming the ball back toward goal and over the line in the 47th minute. That added to the fifth-minute opener by fullback Ola Aina from outside the area as Forest won 2-0 to extend its unbeaten record at the City Ground to eight league matches. Villa six-match unbeaten run came to an end. A win could have lifted Unai Emery’s team into the top four.