The heat of the match was so great that violence broke out in the stands of the Maracana Stadium. It took a 30-minute delay for the match between Brazil and Argentina in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in South America to take place. On the field, players from both teams also clashed continuously, and many cards were issued to calm the hot heads.
In this match, Brazil is determined to win to improve their recent poor performance. Meanwhile, Argentina continues to play a smooth passing game with superstar Lionel Messi as the core.
The first half was tense and fierce with a series of fouls from both teams, forcing the referee to blow the whistle frequently. The most notable opportunity in the first 45 minutes was the timely cover for Argentina by centre-back Cristian Romeo, after a dangerous shot from Gabriel Martinelli. Before that, the most outstanding play Argentina created was Alexis Mac Allister's long-range shot wide.
In the second half, the quality of the game improved somewhat with more opportunities starting to appear. In the first 10 minutes, Brazil organized many good attacks, including Martinelli's shot in the penalty area but goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made an excellent save.
Argentina did not create many chances, but they knew how to make the most of what they had. In the 64th minute, from a corner kick from the left wing by midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, center-back Otamendi jumped higher than two Brazilian players to head the ball into the home net to open the score. A goal that showed the bravery of the reigning world champions in a big match.
Conceding the goal, Brazil tried to fight back strongly. However, in the 82nd minute, Selecao was down to 10 men when substitute Joelinton received a straight red card for a foul on Rodrigo De Paul. Already deadlocked and outnumbered, Brazil had to accept a 0-1 defeat to Argentina right on their home field.
The important victory helped Argentina top the 2026 World Cup qualifying rankings in South America with 15 points, 2 points more than second-placed Uruguay. Meanwhile, Brazil dropped to 6th with 7 points after 6 matches./.
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