Argentina's coach hugs Raphinha.

Coach Lionel Scaloni showed a friendly gesture towards striker Raphinha after the match between Brazil and Argentina in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on March 26.

Scaloni gave Raphinha a hug.

Raphinha caused controversy before the match when he told legend Romario that he "would crush Argentina". However, Brazil suffered a 1-4 defeat, leaving Raphinha facing much criticism from both Argentinian players and fans.

After the match, the moment coach Scaloni hugged Raphinha quickly went viral on social media. According to TyC Sports , the photo, taken in the locker room tunnel, shows Raphinha and Scaloni sharing a warm embrace, demonstrating the solidarity and camaraderie between the two.

Coach Scaloni refused to get involved in the controversy surrounding Raphinha's statement. The Argentinian strategist emphasized: "I don't pay attention to those statements, and I think I understand the current situation. This is a big match between Brazil and Argentina, there's no need for statements to make the game so tense."

He also said: "I forgive Raphinha because I know he didn't mean it. He was defending his team. Things got more serious afterwards because we all wanted the game to be more heated. However, even without those statements, Argentina would have played as the team had prepared."

With this victory, Argentina continues to lead the South American qualifying group and has secured a place in the World Cup. Meanwhile, Brazil is in fourth place but still has a lot of work to do to qualify for the world football tournament.

The goals in Argentina's crushing victory over Brazil: In the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on the morning of March 26th, Brazil lost 1-4 to Argentina.

Source: https://znews.vn/hlv-tuyen-argentina-om-raphinha-post1541119.html