Argentina wins on Brazilian soil.

Brazil's central defender Nicolas Otamendi scored the only goal to give Argentina a 1-0 victory over Brazil in the sixth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in South America, on the morning of November 22nd.

Otamendi's powerful header helped Argentina defeat hosts Brazil at the Maracana Stadium in the sixth matchday of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in South America on the morning of November 22nd. Photo: Reuters

The match, dubbed the "Classic" of South American football, was heated even before kick-off. In one corner of the Maracana stadium, fans from both teams clashed. The cause is believed to be Argentinian fans singing a hit song from the 2022 World Cup, which Brazilian fans responded with jeers. The incident delayed the match by approximately 30 minutes. Brazilian police arrested eight fans involved.

After the opening whistle, the match was equally tense. Fouls disrupted the flow of the game, and neither team was able to develop a clear playing style.

In the first half, Brazil committed 16 fouls, while Argentina committed six. All three yellow cards in the first half went to the home team. Gabriel Jesus received the first yellow card after kicking De Paul in the face in the fifth minute. Nine minutes later, Raphinha also received a yellow card for fouling De Paul. In the 33rd minute, full-back Carlos Augusto was penalized for preventing an Argentina counter-attack.

The match was fragmented by numerous fierce clashes and fouls from players on both sides. In the photo, Gabriel Jesus falls during a challenge with De Paul (number 7) and Marcos Acuña (number 8 in the striped shirt). Photo: AP

The only notable moment in the first half was Gabriel Martinelli's shot through the crowd. However, an Argentinian defender managed to clear the ball off the goal line.

In this match, Brazil were without Neymar and Vinicius due to injury. Rodrygo replaced Neymar in the attacking midfield position just behind Martinelli, while Raphinha and Martinelli played on the wings. Meanwhile, after their 0-2 defeat to Uruguay, Argentina fielded midfielder Giovani Lo Celso from the start. Left-back Marcos Acuna replaced Nicolas Tagliafico.

After the halftime break, both teams played more boldly, taking more risks to find a goal. Brazil took the initiative, controlling possession and pressing forward. However, in two attempts on goal, Raphinha and Gabriel Jesus both failed to beat goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. Midway through the second half, Argentina began to gain the upper hand. In the 63rd minute, the visitors opened the scoring from a simple build-up. Following a corner kick from Lo Celso, center-back Nicolas Otamendi headed the ball into the net past goalkeeper Alisson.

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Ngoc Tuan

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