Brazil is in a shocking slump. It is still early days and the number of tickets has increased
so the possibility is low, but if the current trend continues, we may not be able to see Brazil at the World Cup.
Brazil lost 0-1 to Argentina in the 6th round of the South American regional qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup held at the Estadio do Maracana in Rio de Janeiro
Brazil at 10 a.m. on the 22nd (Korean time). With this loss, Brazil fell to 6th place, next to Venezuela.
Brazil, the strongest team in South America, has not won in the last four games. They won the first two games, but their winning streak ended with a draw with Venezuela.
Then, they lost 0-2 to Uruguay and came from behind to lose 1-2 to Colombia. In the match against Colombia, Gabriel Martinelli scored the first goal
but bowed out after being defeated by a Luis Diaz header multiple goals.
The next opponent was rival Argentina. Argentina, led by Lionel Messi
won the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and continued the World Cup atmosphere by winning all of the South American qualifying rounds.
Meanwhile, their winning streak ended with a 0-2 loss to Uruguay. All the players, including Messi, were helpless and it was a huge shock because they rarely lost to Uruguay.
I was full of motivation. Messi said in his post-match interview: "We could see what kind of game it was going to be and it was actually a difficult game.
Uruguay were full of strong, physical players and they were fast. We had a bad game. You could see the hand of coach Bielsa.
With Coach Bielsa, Uruguay has become a good team. It was a game Argentina deserved to lose. We need to get back up and play a good game against Brazil," he said.
Coach Lionel Scaloni said: "Being world champion doesn't make you invincible. Uruguay were better than us and congratulations.
None of the Argentine players like to lose. We need to turn this page, think about what happens next and make it right." I commented.
The selection was revealed ahead of the rivalry match. Brazil chose the 4-4-2 formation. Gabriel Jesus and Rodrygo went to the front line.
Gabriel Martinelli, Andre, Bruno Guimaraes, and Rafinha formed the midfield.
Carlos Augusto, Gabriel Magalhaangas, Marquinhos, and Emerson Royal made up the defense, and the goal was guarded by Alisson Becker.
Argentina came out in a 4-4-2 formation, and Argentina also prepared the same formation against Brazil. Julian Alvarez and Lionel Messi were in charge of attack
while Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis McAllister, and Giovanni Lo Celso worked together in midfield.
Marcos Acuña, Nicolas Otamendi, Cristian Romero, and Nahuel Molina were responsible for the defense. Emiliano Martinez wore the goalkeeper gloves.
In a situation where a fierce confrontation was predicted, spectator unrest unfolded. Since the match took place at Brazil's home stadium
there were only a small number of spectators in Argentina, but the Brazilian crowd booed when the national anthem was sung.
Angry Argentine fans ran toward the Brazilian crowd, which quickly escalated into a fight, leading to unrest.
The method the Brazilian police thought was assault. The Brazilian police officers swung their clubs and even gave them to the excited Brazilian citizens.
The Brazilian police and spectators lost their temper and held batons and beat the Argentine fans mercilessly.
Argentine fans threw objects in response. Bloodshed broke out and the stadium turned into chaos.
Argentine players who saw the unrest went to the stands and demanded restraint, and paramedics moved the bleeding spectators.
Nevertheless, as the situation did not calm down and the violent suppression by the Brazilian police continued, Argentine players, including Emiliano Martinez, rushed to stop the match, and Messi refused to play.
The game was paused as the Argentine players headed to the locker room. Afterwards, kick-off occurred at 10 o’clock.
The game started 30 minutes later than the previous game start time of 9:30.
Kick-off took place in a difficult atmosphere. The players behaved as if they were fighting sports rather than soccer, and if anyone on either team held the ball for too long or attempted to dribble
they rushed at them mercilessly. De Paul was targeted and was hit by Brazilian players.
The referee tried to keep the flow of the game stable by observing strict standards, but he was unable to control the excited players from both countries.
The first half ended 0-0 in a rough situation. The same happened in the second half, with Otamendi scoring in the 16th minute of the second half.
Otamendi scored from a corner kick while Messi's shot was blocked. Lo Celso's flying cross led to Otamendi's header.
After Otamendi's goal, Argentina caught the momentum and tried to score an additional goal.
Argentina secured mobility by adding Leandro Perez and Nico Gonzalez in the 24th minute of the second half. Enzo and Lo Celso are missing.
Brazil strengthened its attack by adding Endrick and Joelinton. Messi is missing.
In the 31st minute of the second half, Argentina brought in Messi and added Lautaro Martinez. Alvarez went out and Di Maria entered.
Brazil added strength by adding Veiga and Douglas Lewis.
In the 36th minute of the second half, Joelinton was sent off for hitting De Paul in the face, putting Brazil at a numerical disadvantage.
Joelinton did not leave immediately and protested, but the referee's decision did not change. Even without Joelinton, Brazil focused on attack.
Still, there were no threatening shots. Argentina operated stably.
In the 1st minute of added time in the second half, Di Maria created an opportunity and Mac Allister shot
but it was blocked by the defense. The match ended with Argentina winning 1-0.
As a result, Brazil lost in a World Cup qualifier for the first time in history.
The shock was even greater because the opponent was Argentina.
Until now, Brazil has always been strong in the World Cup preliminaries and finals.
It was the strongest country in soccer, having perfect attendance at the World Cup and winning the title several times. But now it is shaking violently.
It ranks 6th after Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.
If they maintain their current ranking, they can advance to the World Cup, but if the trend continues
they could easily be overturned by Paraguay and Chile, who are located below.
As a result, many say that the harsh treatment of Argentine fans stimulated the opponents and ultimately led to their defeat.
Messi said, "I saw the Brazilian police beating up Argentine families.
It happened in the Libertadores final, etc., and I decided that there was something more important than the game, so I refused to play. We are family.
He added, "Today, Argentina made history. More than the game.
Brazil's oppression of Argentines must be recorded. It was unacceptable madness and it had to stop immediately," he said.
De Paul, who was fouled throughout the game, also expressed satisfaction, saying, "Argentina is the best national team in the world.
We risked everything and made history."