2023-11-22 10:13:29
Record world champions against world champions, Brazil against Argentina. Even before Brazil’s historic defeat in the duel between the major soccer powers, there were riots in the stands in Rio.
Rio de Janeiro.
The Argentine national soccer team around superstar Lionel Messi prevailed against Brazil in the World Cup qualifiers. The Albiceleste won the game 1-0 (0-0) in the legendary Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. It was the first defeat of the Brazilian national team in the history of World Cup qualification in front of a home crowd. Even before kick-off, violence in the stands caused a delay.
“There were family members of the players. We were more worried about that than about the game,” Messi said of the scenes. The professionals first tried to calm the situation and then went into the locker room. The game therefore started with a 27-minute delay. “We did that because it was the way to calm everything down. We couldn’t do much from below. We saw them beating people,” Messi said of the police operation.
In the stands of the legendary Maracanã Stadium, fans of the two teams engaged in violent confrontations, as was seen on television. The Brazilian police then used batons, especially against the Argentine fans.
Nicolás Otamendi headed the final score from a corner in the 63rd minute. Messi complained of pain in his right thigh twice in the first half and received treatment on the pitch. In the 78th minute he was finally substituted for Ángel Di María. The hosts played the final minutes outnumbered after Brazilian striker Joelinton was shown a red card for a blow to Rodrigo De Paul’s face in the 81st minute.
Most recently, the two South American football superpowers Argentina and Brazil both failed in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. Last week, record world champions Brazil lost to Colombia 1-2 away. World champion Argentina lost 2-0 at home to Uruguay. For Messi’s team it was the first defeat since the World Cup. After the victory in Rio, Argentina remains at the top of the table with 15 points after six match days, followed by Uruguay (13) and Colombia (12). Brazil is sixth with seven points. (dpa)
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