Argentina stuns Brazil with first-ever home loss in World Cup qualifiers with a historic 1-0 victory at the iconic Maracan Stadium on Tuesday night.
Nicolás Otamendi scored a brilliant header to give Argentina a 1-0 away win over Brazil in a tense World Cup qualifier that was delayed by 30 minutes on Tuesday after police clashed with fans at a sold-out Maracan Stadium.
The rivalry between two of the most successful teams in world football spilled over into violence after Brazilian police charged Argentina fans in response to fighting in the stands during the national anthems, according to The Guardian report.
Brazil Vs Argentina almost turned into a riot #BRAARG Messi pic.twitter.com/1mOrp53s2M
— XBlog9ja (@XBlog9ja__) November 22, 2023
Visiting supporters responded by ripping up and throwing seats at the officers.
Fans near the trouble panicked and came on to the pitch to escape the fighting. At least one injured fan was taken from the stadium on a stretcher.
The reigning champions, captained by Lionel Messi, walked over to the stands to calm the crowd before leaving the field and heading back to the locker room for over ten minutes.
The players eventually came back, and the match started with a lot of noise as the home fans cheered on the five-time world champions, who were hoping to get their campaign back on track after losing two qualifying matches in a row for the first time in history.
Instead, they lost their third match in a row, their first-ever home loss in a World Cup qualifier, leaving them sixth in the standings, eight points behind the leaders, Argentina, and in the last spot that automatically qualifies for the 2026 finals.
“After that, winning this game like this I think is one of the most important wins that this group has achieved. It is something very nice to be able to win here in Brazil, after how strong they have been at home throughout their history.”
It was a nervy first half with 22 fouls, three bookings and several skirmishes as rival players frequently faced off and the referee brandished cards in an attempt to calm the situation.
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Brazil played better and almost scored from a corner just before half-time with a shot from Gabriel Martinelli, but the defender Cristian Romero cleared it off the goal line.
Despite missing key players like Vinícius Jr and Neymar due to injuries, and losing their captain, Marquinhos, to a leg injury halfway through the game, Brazil continued to pressure Argentina. They missed a great chance to score in the 47th minute when Martinelli missed an easy shot from close range.
Argentina held on and scored from one of the few chances they created in the 63rd minute, when defender Otamendi headed home a corner from Giovani Lo Celso. It was Argentina’s only shot on target, and Brazil’s problems got worse when substitute midfielder Joelinton was sent off for hitting Rodrigo de Paul in the face in the 82nd minute, just three minutes after he came on.
The world champions handed their fiercest rivals a third consecutive loss, as Brazil came into the match having lost two World Cup qualifiers in a row for the first time in their history.
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