The much anticipated clash between football giants and rivals, Argentina and Brazil was overshadowed by the ugly and bloody scenes which took place inside the iconic Maracana stadium when both sides met for a 2026 World Cup Qualifier match on Wednesday morning.
The fierce rivalry between the Selecao and the Albiceleste took an ugly turn when some supporters turned on one another and started fighting just as the national anthems were been reciting by the players and other fans.
The footballers were forced to head towards where the clash was taking place in a bid to persuade their supporters to stop the violence. Both the Argentine and Brazilian players made efforts to quell the fight that had broken out.
Brazilian police were seen hitting Argentine supporters with batons which further aggravated the violence as the Argentines felt that the police were taking side with their own set of supporters while dealing ruthlessly with them.
With the actions of the police worsening the situation, the Argentine players led by Lionel Messi protested against the needless attack on their own set of supporters by the police while refusing to do same to Brazilian fans who were also involved in the fight.
Argentina goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez had to restrained by his teammates as he could not bare to watch the Brazilian police continue beating Argentina supporters. He made an attempt to stop a police officer but was held back by his teammates to avoid worsening the situation.
Angry about the continuous battering, the Argentine players left the pitch and returned to their dressing room as a form of protest against the actions of the Brazilian police. This led to the delay of the match for about half an hour.
Argentina captain, Lionel Messi and Brazilian youngster, Rodrygo were involved in a clash when the match was about to be resumed. Rodrygo had said something to the Argentine players as they were returning from their dressing room protest which the eight time Ballon Dor winner found offensive. Messi replied Rodrygo and both players had to be separated by their teammates.
When the violent atmosphere was finally cleared and the players played the actual match, it was played in a fierce manner with tackles and fouls flying around. There were also pockets of clashes among players on the field. With 42 fouls, 1 red card and 3 yellow cards, the match was indeed a battle between two old enemies.
Argentine defender, Nicolas Otamendi got the only goal of the match in the 63rd minute as he scored a beautiful header from a well taken Giovanni Lo Celso’s cross to hand his country a lead they would protect till the end.
With a 1-0 victory, Argentina became the first country to beat Brazil on their home soil in a World Cup Qualifying match. It also makes them the only team to defeat Brazil twice on their home soil in the last 70 years.
Brazil have lost their last three matches in the World Cup Qualifier series against Uruguay, Colombia and Argentina. They will need to get back to winning ways soon in order to rejuvenate their qualification hopes.
Meanwhile, condemnations have continued to pour in on how the Brazilian police handled the clash. The local organizing body has also come under heavy scrutiny for failing to have barricades between both set of supporters despite understanding the nature of the rivalry between both teams and their supporters.
Football authorities and governments of both nations will have their hands full as they will be working to resolve the issues surrounding the violent clash as they cannot afford to have a bloody clash of this nature when Brazil visits Argentina for the return leg.
