Luis Suarez, Sporting’s striker and top scorer in Liga Portugal, is the main attacking hope for the South Americans, but he has yet to find the net in the tournament and heads into the clash with the Portuguese side with his starting place under threat.
In Colombia, there is a rich tradition of strikers. The Portuguese know this well. Falcao, Jackson Martinez and Fredy Montero, for example, are among the names who have made their mark in Portuguese football, but today, a new Colombian king reigns.
Luis Suarez joined Sporting at a high-risk moment. The situation was complicated and the pressure immense. In fact, the Colombian moved from Almeria, in the Spanish second tier, to a team that had just won back-to-back national titles and had just said farewell to a player who, in only two seasons, had become one of the best in Alvalade’s history.
The 97 goals in just 103 matches by Viktor Gyokeres could have made Suarez doubt himself, but the Colombian was ready for the challenge and surpassed the Swedish international’s stats in his very first season.
His 38 goals in all competitions, including 28 in the league, weren’t enough to bring silverware to Rui Borges’ side, but they did allow Suarez to establish himself and gain confidence ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
FIFA World Cup 2026
The 2026 World Cup is taking place from June 11th to July 19th in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The tournament features 48 national teams and is played at 16 modern stadiums.
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Colombia has yet to see the real Suarez
Although he arrived at the final stage of the tournament as Colombia’s main attacking star, Suarez is far from being a unanimous choice for the national team.
Nestor Lorenzo did not immediately put his faith in the Sporting striker, but his goal in a 6-3 win over Venezuela in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers boosted Suarez’s confidence.
Continuing to score at Alvalade helped him keep the status he’d earned in that match, but since then, Suarez has only scored once.
Although he was a starter in the first two matches, Suarez is not guaranteed to start against Portugal and his disappointing performances are not helping his cause.
After 138 minutes played at the 2026 World Cup, the Sporting player has still not scored and has only managed one shot in the entire tournament.
In the opening match, a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan, he touched the ball three times in the opposition box and completed eight passes, standing out only for the number of duels won (five out of seven).
By contrast, his replacement, Cucho Hernandez, provided an assist shortly after coming on under the Colombian coach.
Despite a quiet display, Suarez kept his place in the starting line-up against DR Congo (1-0), but was substituted after 58 minutes, with a rating of 6.3 on Flashscore.
The Sporting striker again touched the ball three times in the opposition box and saw his duel success rate drop to 50 per cent. However, unlike the Betis striker in the previous match, Jhon Cordoba, who plays for Krasnodar, failed to seize his chance against the African side.
Competition is looming
Colombia go into the match against Portugal already qualified for the next round after winning their first two games, and Nestor Lorenzo may be tempted to experiment up front, given the lack of efficiency from his strikers – full-back Daniel Munoz is the team’s top scorer with two goals.
In this context, Suárez is in direct competition with Cucho Hernández.
Like the Sporting striker, the Betis player has never really established himself in the national team and sees the 2026 World Cup as the perfect opportunity to do so.
Capped 10 times for Colombia, he has only started once in a competitive match and has scored just two goals, both on his debut in 2018.
However, like Suarez, Cucho is coming off a positive season in Spain. Less prolific (15 goals), certainly, but still a success, as he led Real Betis' attack back into the Champions League.
Of the three strikers used in North America, the 27-year-old has made the best impression, not only thanks to his assist, but also for his willingness to set up Jaminton Campaz with a cross from the right.
With just hours to go before the clash with Portugal, there are still question marks over Colombia’s attack, especially as Cucho and Suarez have a lot in common.
Strong in team play, aggressive in pressing and united by the green and white of their respective club shirts, both are determined to hurt Portugal and gain the upper hand in the battle for the starting striker’s spot for the rest of the World Cup.