Argentina beat Brazil 1-0 on Tuesday in a rough 2026 World Cup qualifying match that started late because of trouble in the crowd before the game.
Nicolas Otamendi, an experienced defender, scored the game-winning goal in the 63rd minute. The world champions bounced back from last week’s loss to Uruguay to beat their fierce South American foes.
The first goal is scored by Nicolas Otamendi for Argentina. Picture: Reuters On November 21, 2023, Messi (C) celebrates with his team at the end of the game at Maracana Stadium. Picture: AFP
After beating Chile, Argentina now has 15 points from six games, which puts them on top of the South American playoff results.
Following their third loss in qualifying, Brazil is now in sixth place with seven points from six games, having lost all three of their games.
Before the game, tempers were high in the Maracana stands. Brazilian police were seen using batons to move a group of Argentine fans to one end of the field.
Before the game starts, Argentina fans hold a sign with a picture of Maradona on it. Picture: AFP
Several Argentina players went towards the trouble to try to calm things down. At one point, goalie Emi Martinez tried to jump into the crowd to face a Brazilian police officer brandishing a stick.
Lionel Messi and the rest of Argentina’s players went back to their locker room as the fights continued. Messi seemed to say, “We’re not playing, we’re leaving.”
The winners of the 2022 World Cup came back out on the field just before 10 p.m. local time, and the game started soon after, about 30 minutes after it was supposed to.
The ball is being fought over by Messi (C) and Andre (L), a defender for Brazil. Picture: AFP
The heated mood before the game carried over to the field when it did start. Gabriel Jesus, an Arsenal striker from Brazil, was given a yellow card after only five minutes for a collision with Rodrigo De Paul of Argentina.
Tension in the air
Tensions stayed high throughout a rough first half, with neither team having many chances to score as the game was littered with annoying mistakes.
Raphinha, a winger for Brazil, got a yellow card in the 14th minute for throwing an arm into De Paul’s face. Five minutes later, he caught Alexis MacAllister with a wild studs-up challenge and was lucky not to get a second yellow.
Brazil, on the other hand, didn’t have a single shot, on or off goal, until Raphinha’s free kick in the 38th minute, which was blocked wide for a corner.
In the first half, only one shot on goal came from either team. It happened 44 minutes in when Gabriel Martinelli of Brazil hit a badly cleared ball back towards goal from Martinez, the custodian for Argentina.
Argentina breathed a sigh of relief when defender Cristian Romero stopped Martinelli’s shot on the line. The ball was going into the goal.
Brazil got off to a better start in the second half. After 54 minutes, Martinez stopped Raphinha’s shot at the near post.
After Gabriel made a good run, Martinez saved Argentina again by blocking Martinelli’s shot that was headed for the goal.
But Argentina took the lead with their first shot on goal of the game at 63 minutes, which shocked Brazil.
Argentina cheers when they score. Picture: Reuters
Giovani Lo Celso sent in a nice corner kick from the left side, and Otamendi, who is 35 years old, jumped over Brazil player Andre to head the ball home for a 1-0 lead.
Brazil’s bad night got even worse in the 82nd minute, when replacement Joelinton was sent off for a rough play with De Paul. He had only been on the pitch for 12 minutes.