November 22, (THEWILL) – A bad-tempered World Cup qualifier between footballing rivals, Brazil and Argentina, saw the away side come out on top, winning 1-0, thanks to a second-half header from veteran defender, Nicolas Otamendi. The match, played at Rio de Janeiro’s historic Maracana Stadium, on Tuesday, was marred by crowd trouble which delayed kick-off by 30 minutes.
Tempers flared in the stands moments before the original kick-off time, as Brazilian police were forced to use batons to restrain a section of passionate Argentine supporters. Several Argentina players attempted to intervene, before returning to the dressing room and initially refusing to play.
When the match did finally get underway, it remained fractious, with 5 yellow cards shown in the first half alone. Brazil struggled to create chances, with their only shot on target coming right on half-time. Argentina too were toothless up front until defender, Otamendi, broke the deadlock just past the hour mark. His glancing header from a well-delivered set piece was enough to clinch all three points.
Things went from bad to worse for the hosts late on when Joelinton, only recently introduced as a second-half substitute, saw red for an off-the-ball incident before the final whistle. It means Argentina tops the South American qualifying group with 15 points from six games, while defeat for Brazil, their third of the campaign so far, leaves them in 6th place on seven points.
Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina are, therefore, in a strong position to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, while Brazil face an uphill task to secure their own spot in the tournament.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
