Argentina celebrates a historic victory while Brazil reaches a new low.
JANEIRO DE RIO — Tuesday night, at the Maracana stadium, history was made when Argentina defeated Brazil 1-0 at home in World Cup qualifying thanks to a towering header from Nicolas Otamendi from a corner.
The final stronghold was breached in one of Lionel Messi’s worst games during his eighteen-year international career, which only made things worse for the hosts. The captain of Argentina appeared to be seriously injured, and he was treated on the sidelines for a portion of the first half. Before being replaced with fifteen minutes left, the 36-year-old cut an atypically conservative, peripheral figure, diving deep to lay off first-time passes.
Unfortunately, Argentina’s talisman’s ineffectiveness fit the match somehow, as the evening lacked the joyous art that an in-form Messi has provided for so long. This premier event in South American and international football left a bad taste. The opening scenes of the evening were ferocious and violent.
The national anthems were playing when it all started. There were reportedly fights between opposing fan bases as a result of this. The Argentine fans were attacked by the local police with baton charges, which quickly spiraled out of control. The fans retaliated by throwing yellow seats into the air. Blood was flowing down the faces of some fans, and as the Argentine fans withdrew.
The players from Argentina had been observing from the midway point. They approached to have a closer look, and Messi led them off the field after getting a close-up look at their fellow countrymen who had been subjected to such harsh enforcement.
The game was uncertain at this point. Health officials called off Brazil’s home game against Argentina in the fourth minute of the previous campaign due to the COVID pandemic. There was a chance that Tuesday’s match would not proceed very far.
It undoubtedly would have been preferable if the police had just maintained a line dividing the supporters of Brazil and Argentina rather than initiating their charge. However, given that the Maracana regularly separates its fans based on fan base, it is truly astounding that they were so close. In order to provide enough space between people, the visiting support is often positioned high up in one of the corners, leaving the seats below empty. That was not the case on Tuesday. Thus, the organized group of Brazil supporters was right next to the Argentina supporters who were standing behind one of the goals. This was an error, as the Brazilian association of organized supporters, Anatorg, had cautioned prior to the match. Their advice went unheeded.
The game started 27 minutes behind schedule.
Brazil was expected to emerge from the previous rounds like a wounded beast in front of their home crowd, following an unprecedented two straight defeats. And interim coach Fernando Diniz’s strategy served to emphasize this even more. With just two men in midfield and a front line consisting of Raphinha, Rodrygo, Gabriel Jesus, and Gabriel Martinelli, there was little possibility of a patient build-up, foot-on-the-ball style of football. Instead, their pressing had a brisk and fierce quality.
Granted, there were sporadic glimmers of the Diniz football signature move, which is to group players on one flank before making a dramatic switch to the opposite. The target was Raphinha on the right, and the Argentina defense was rattled. But the central notion.
Furthermore, Argentina found it extremely difficult to extend the game and play behind Brazil’s strong defensive line because Messi was acting so strangely. A 4-4-2 formation was modified by coach Lionel Scaloni, with Giovani Lo Celso and Alexis Mac Allister positioned wider and Rodrigo De Paul and Enzo Fernández occupying the center. However, it’s possible that this did not bring out the best in the last two, as they lack even a fraction of the speed in confined areas. Mac Allister would occasionally cause a hiccup by drifting in and opening a corridor for Marcos Acuña, the left-back, to attack.
But of the few opportunities the game presented, Brazil had the better of them. Raphinha’s free kick veered slightly over after flicking off the wall. Goalie Emiliano Martínez headed his corner, but Cristian Romero came to his rescue, deflecting Martinelli’s shot over the crossbar. After Gabriel Jesus bounded past the defense and set up Martinelli for a shot that Martinez expertly blocked, Otamendi’s historic moment transpired. For the second time in the last four games, Otamendi’s corner goal has given his team the maximum number of points. The match that will remain in Argentina’s collective memory is this one, not their victory over Paraguay last month, though it will be somewhat bittersweet if a fatigued Scaloni.
How about Brazil, then? They were down to 10 men at the end of the match and had no clear strategy or structure. Although Gabriel Jesus, wearing a yellow shirt, was fortunate to remain on the field during the first half, substitute Joelinton was sent off for palming off De Paul. The referee was undoubtedly harsh. The Maracana crowd responded to Argentina’s passes with a “Ole!” in a predictable manner, branding them “a shameless team” and adding insult to injury.
Brazil will have to look at this unpleasant sight for a while as the World Cup qualifying campaign does not resume until September of next year, with them currently sitting in sixth place in CONMEBOL’s World Cup qualifying table. The Brazilian federation is optimistic that Carlo Ancelotti, the manager of Real Madrid.
