2026 World Cup South America Qualifiers Brazil 01 Argentina, Intense Match Delayed by External Factors, How to Evaluate this Game?

A Chaotic Battle: South American Football Drama

Thank you for the invitation. This match can be described as a rare sight, and it is not simply “crazy” or “barbaric” anymore - it is truly a rare melee in the human world…

Due to the brawl between the fans of both teams before the match, the on-site security personnel had to intervene, and the way the armed personnel drove away the visiting Argentine fans was also brutal. The Argentine players had to leave the field and enter the spectator area in order to calm the situation. Funny enough, Martín even had an argument with the fans at the scene - in the end, the efforts of the players failed.

Considering the recent off-field factors and sharp contradictions between Brazil and Argentina, this kind of incident is not particularly surprising. However, as Chinese fans, I also feel a little selfish that our social order is really good. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been so many “Tottenham fans” and “South Korean fans” openly making a fuss at the Shenzhen stadium last night.

In my opinion, this kind of South American-style magical chaos and disorder is also part of football, it’s quite dark, and sometimes it feels interesting.

Back to the main topic of the match: the intense off-field factors made the originally tense atmosphere between the two teams somewhat strange…

On the Argentine side, Messi, as the captain, first made the decision to avoid the scene and wait in the dressing room for the situation to stabilize, while the Brazilian team waited on the field. After half an hour, the match officially started - but I clearly had a feeling that the violence off the field significantly reduced the fighting spirit harbored by the players of both sides. Perhaps seeing the miserable situation of the fans in the stands, both sides of the players who had planned to have a big battle became more calm and restrained - this is the reality, otherwise I am sure the match would have been 10 times more intense than what actually happened.

In other words, this match could have been more barbaric, more intense, and more chaotic. However, there were only 3 yellow cards in the first half, which didn’t seem to match the atmosphere.

From a football perspective, the first half of the match can be said to be only 40% influenced by football factors, no more. The Brazilian team exerted pressure on the opponent from the beginning, striving to gain advantages in every physical contact opportunity, while the Argentine team found it difficult to develop their accustomed style of football. Throughout the entire first half, two of the world’s best national teams technically completed only 5 passes smoothly.

In the second half, the situation became calmer - so did the audience. The atmosphere before the match, which seemed like it was about to burst through the sky, completely disappeared, and Argentina, who didn’t have a single shot on target in the first half, gradually improved.

The goal from a corner by Lo Celso+Otamendi’s header was perfect. It feels like this should be one of Otamendi’s best career goals.

The Brazilian team, which tried to bring the match into a rhythm of physical confrontation, actually only had one good opportunity throughout the match: Jesus dribbled into the third zone from the left side of the midfield and made a cross, but Martínez’s shot was saved. In the rest of the match, the Brazilian team didn’t contribute any eye-catching performances.

On the Argentine side, it is indeed commendable to win at the suffocating Maracanã, especially in such a tumultuous match. They still showed something in terms of football in extremely difficult circumstances, proving their strength once again.

To objectively say, João Jardim’s red card was a bit harsh - compared to the continuous conflicts between the two sides in the first half, this action was not particularly outrageous. Personally, I feel that this is more like a punishment for the entire Brazil team. To be honest, Denis' arrangement and on-site command cannot be called particularly trash. It’s not that the players couldn’t control their emotions or lost their composure, it’s not like that. Anyway, I feel that this failure will most likely lead to him leaving.

Almost at the same time as the red card, Messi was substituted with Di María due to an injury on the inner side of his right thigh. The team doctor gave him on-site treatment twice in the second half - it was actually just massaging his leg:

The job of a national team coach always puts results first. This is a point that has struck me particularly during this international match week. But to be honest, I am a bit tired of these matches between national teams, let’s get back to the familiar rhythm of our leagues as soon as possible.

I hope that the players from both sides who are about to return to Europe after this match will have a smooth journey. This weekend, we need truly exciting football.

Argentina Defeats Brazil in Maracanã

A mass brawl broke out before the match even started, truly living up to the reputation of the South American derby between Brazil and Argentina. And the live broadcast signal was on the air throughout the whole match. What’s even more surreal is that there were even Yao Ming’s fans in the fighting crowd…

Even in the South American region where fights are often seen on the field, the intensity of this match in its early stage is astonishing. I believe that even if Russia and Ukraine were to play a match now, it may not surpass this period.

Of course, the skills of the players from both teams are still strong. Despite the intense and fragmented rhythm of the game, they were able to execute some coordination. As for the Chinese national team, it’s questionable if they can even manage to complete three consecutive passes.

The Chilean referee team has seen big occasions before. They managed to control the chaotic situation at the start of the match and successfully let the game proceed until the end. European referees might not be able to handle such a situation.

Now let’s talk about the content of Argentina’s game. It’s apparent that Messi is getting older. After the warm-up, taking a half-hour break and then playing is not good for his muscles. In the first half, every chance Messi got, he went to the sidelines to massage his thigh muscles. The subsequent set pieces were mostly taken by Lo Celso, probably because Messi doesn’t dare to exert too much force with his thighs. Being substituted early in this kind of game also suggests that his physical condition is not suitable for the intensity of the match, a protective substitution.

In the midfield, González was substituted by Lo Celso, and he stood on the right side. This should be to help Messi share some of the work of advancing the ball, leaving the left side to Acuña. However, due to Enzo’s recent poor form, the midfield was unable to completely unfold and control the ball at their own pace. Even with Lo Celso’s presence, it was difficult to pass the ball to Messi’s feet, and the situation was very passive.

The best performance in the entire midfield was still from De Paul. He contested two tough battles, was fouled countless times, and received two yellow cards and one red card throughout the match. Although he made some horizontal passing mistakes, he still had the highest rate of successful defensive positioning and most ball control in the backline. It was mainly because of him that Argentina withstood the pressure from Brazil for the first 60 minutes of the game.

The defense still relied on the warrior Romero - blocking shots, positioning, tackling, defending headers, disrupting attacks, and occasionally pushing forward. It really felt like there was nothing he couldn’t do, and it was his defensive stability that gave Otamendi the energy to perform well on the offensive end.

By the way, Emiliano Martínez also had another outstanding performance. Without his saves, Argentina wouldn’t have held on until Otamendi’s goal.

Taking three points from two difficult matches is not bad at all. Although it’s different from the expected three points, Maracanã’s back-to-back victories over Brazil seems to make the disappointment of the candy box’s failure less frustrating.

Of course, the happiest ones must be the Argentine fans in the away section. They were attacked by home fans and the police just two hours ago, but now their own team has given them a reason to celebrate. It’s truly a great feeling!

Lastly, one year ago today, in Qatar, Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia. From now on, let’s start the countdown to our one-year anniversary of winning the championship!!!

Brazil vs Argentina: A Violent Showdown

Brazil committed 26 fouls, while Argentina committed 16 fouls. The number of times both teams fell down and struggled to get up totaled at least 30 times. If it weren’t for that ball, who would think this is a game?

The scheduled match was delayed by the home fans of Brazil, who filled the aisles with security guards. Even if a dog came, it would have received two slaps.

Chinese fans are still too civilized. Those few people last night were shouting in the Chinese home team area while holding the opposing players' club jerseys. If this happened here, they would probably be carried out.

The “warm-up” of the seats before the match made me realize how intense the scene would be, but I still underestimated the dominance.

De Paaulo fell three times in ten minutes, getting his nose poked, his right cheek slapped, and his leg tripped. In the 80th minute, he was pushed in the face by Jo Lindon, with his back turned.

A person gave Brazil two yellow cards, one red card, and played the entire game.

Lo Celso was knocked down, tripped, and continuously bumped.

McCalest and Lafiniea kicked each other and fell down together.

Romero broke the ball and knelt down, displaying a rare World Cup shielding move.

Enzo was stepped on and fell down.

After Alvarez was brought down while dribbling, he suffered a brutal three-man tackle. The little spider now only has two legs to kick with.

The second half gradually eased.

Argentina entrusted the left flank to Acuna, advancing the forward line as a transfer station. McCalest mainly played in midfield, pressing and covering alongside De Paaulo. Alvarez mostly acted as a center forward, forming a connection with Messi.

A corner kick taken by Lo Celso was precisely guided and delivered to the front, where the 35-year-old veteran Otamendi scored with a header.

Messi had discomfort in his thigh and was substituted, and Angel Di Maria, the executive vice king, came on.

After Neymar was ruled out, the Brazilian team clearly lacked a focal point. They had many attacks that reached the Argentine penalty area, but there were no players who could rely on individual ability to complete the final stage. On the other hand, Argentina’s midfield quickly transitioned from defense to attack. When pressing forward, they almost formed a situation of man-marking or outnumbering Brazil, reducing the threat of shots, leaving the rest to Martinez.

The head coach of Brazil, Tite, is highly likely to be fired.

Argentina’s Tactics and Aging Squad: Need for Change

Argentina’s Tactics and Aging Squad: Need for Change Before the previous game against Uruguay, I told my friends that Argentina now needs a few defeats. First, their lineup and tactics have gradually been figured out. Second, the team has aged another year. Third, their mentality has clearly become a little arrogant. At this point, they need a team like Saudi Arabia to give them a wake-up call and promote some renewal. After all, they can’t depend on Messi and Di Maria forever. The South American World Cup qualifiers have 6.5 spots, which should be easy for Argentina to secure. They should focus on training their players and not leave problems to be solved in the Copa America or World Cup.

This international match day, playing against Uruguay at home and Brazil away, is indeed a good opportunity for training. Especially with Uruguay, led by Bielsa, recently defeating Brazil, they were in great form and definitely not easy to deal with. As expected, Argentina lost. My hope for this match against Brazil at the Maracana was actually another loss, to give a warning to the national team members.

Before the game, seeing the fans getting into fights and the match being delayed, I was particularly concerned that the game would be canceled. The away match against Brazil in the previous World Cup qualifiers was canceled, which somewhat contributed to their reputation of being unbeaten for over thirty matches. The difference is that at that time, they needed to win against strong teams to boost confidence, but now they need to wake up early.

However, judging from the course of the game, Argentina endured enough pressure and also resisted it well, eventually winning the match. Throughout the game, Brazil clearly had the upper hand, and Argentina chose to play defensively. They had very few opportunities to attack Brazil’s penalty area. But Brazil’s ability to seize opportunities was really poor, even though they had four forwards on the field, it didn’t make much difference. It’s hard to imagine that this was once Brazil, with an abundance of world-class forwards. Argentina’s overall defense was also good. They didn’t give Brazil many good chances, but their attacking ability through positional play was still difficult. It might be because South American players generally have good technique, coupled with their familiarity with each other.

Brazil’s set-piece defense is truly puzzling. Argentina only had two tall central defenders, and there were very few corners played with high balls, but they still couldn’t defend properly.

Lastly, Argentina’s group of forwards should also be careful. Apart from Messi, the other forwards haven’t scored in a long time. There were even two matches where they relied on Otamendi to secure the win. This is not a good trend. It feels like Argentina is becoming more like Atletico Madrid, relying on tireless running to press the opponent, while their attacking prowess is gradually regressing.

I don’t understand what Scaloni’s comments after the match meant. Is it possible that the crazy president wants to disband the national team too? This is the only thing that this country can take pride in…

Praise to De Paulo, all honors belong to him.

Title (English): “Praise to De Paulo, All Honors Belong to Him” Praise be to De Paulo, all honor belongs to him.

This game belongs to Argentina’s iron midfielder. At the end of the game, he knelt on his knees, pointed his hands to the sky, and his teammates came to embrace him. The broadcast didn’t immediately focus on Messi on the bench, but lingered on him.

In De Paulo’s acceptance speech, he mentioned the following people:

1: Thanks to Big Martín, the Yasen Award was well deserved. He showed great strength at crucial moments. Brazil had at least two excellent opportunities today, but they missed them. He kept the opponent scoreless. Thanks to Lomero, who disrupted clearances multiple times with stability.

2: Thanks to Messi, the boss was not in good shape, being weak-footed, taking a stroll, and getting substituted early. He gave up the main center stage, leaving it to the one who needed it.

3: Thanks to the referee, two yellows and one red card gave De Paulo the opportunity to decide the game. He endured being tripped, hit, and targeted throughout the match, all for this one red card. The referee also made a mistake, as it was obvious that De Paulo pulled him first and quickly pushed him away, which was not very football-like. Giving a yellow card would have been enough. Insisting on a red card was the last straw that broke the camel’s back.

4: Thanks to Ota Mendy, the game should have ended in a 0-0 draw. Both sides were too busy fouling instead of playing football. The only goal of the entire match was an ordinary corner kick, which can only be said to be Argentina’s good luck. The 0-0 result doesn’t hinder everyone from praising De Paulo professionally, but a 1-0 score allows all Argentine fans to sing his praises alone.

5: Thanks to the other forwards of the Argentine team. If you didn’t mention it, you wouldn’t even notice that Argentina had forwards on the field.

I really don’t know if this tactical focus on fouling by the Brazilian team was prearranged or influenced by the fan violence incident. In South American matches, it is common for weaker teams to fight desperately in face of stronger opponents. There have been many fiery clashes between Brazil and Argentina as well. However, those were usually outbursts when victory was hopeless. The scene of targeting one individual right from the start is not often seen.

Finally, back to De Paulo. This guy has been fighting fiercely in every match of the South American World Cup qualifiers. Today’s game, with perfect timing, conditions, and people, pushed him onto the podium for the award.

It tells us a truth.

As long as you work hard, keep working, and never give up.

One day, luck will come.

Your efforts will be seen by the whole world.

Hot Jesus: Lost to Argentina at home twice.

Hotshots: We’ve lost to Argentina twice in our home stadium.

The chaotic match between Brazil and Argentina.

First of all, due to other political factors or the disharmony between the governments, it has led to the chaotic and confrontational situation between Brazilian and Argentine fans. After all, they are both strong teams and face the possibility of elimination. Moreover, Brazil has indeed been affected by the overall decline in strength, especially the comprehensive abilities of the midfield and defense, which vary greatly among individuals. Therefore, there may be some fluctuations before the start of the game, which is normal. Also, in order to prevent these fluctuations from affecting safety or causing bigger problems after the kick-off. It is normal for Messi, as the captain, to have thoughts of protecting his teammates and considering withdrawing from the game.

But in the end, they still won the match. It certainly shows that Argentina’s midfield and forward line have a more fierce firepower. Of course, both sides wasted some opportunities. It’s just that Otamendi seized the possibility of that corner kick.

Anyway, the overall game was played in chaos, and everyone was basically not in a normal state. Both sides had major issues in terms of attacking and controlling the midfield. Neither side exerted much pressure on the defensive flanks.

In short, both sides probably just wanted to finish this game quickly. After all, there is a significant threat to safety.

Argentina’s Victory and Messi’s Future

1. After losing to Uruguay in the previous match, I cautiously predicted that Argentina would still be at a slight disadvantage in this game. Although the result proved me wrong, Brazil is indeed more deserving of victory. Opportunities were created but not capitalized on, so there’s no one to blame but themselves.

2. The pre-match conflicts and on-field confrontations are the true essence of football—an alternative to war in peaceful times. Fans are at odds with each other, and players are burning with anger. All in all, these true footballers and spectators, with such genuine emotions, are not commonly seen in other continents.

3. I have also predicted that Messi will gradually decrease his involvement with the national team, and this game confirmed it. Although he left due to injury, he won’t push himself too hard anymore. Even against their arch-rivals Brazil, he doesn’t need to give it his all. This bodes well for Argentina’s future.

4. Brazil suffered quite an impact without Neymar, especially in the forward line where they couldn’t establish enough dominance. Despite constantly being pressed by Argentina, Brazil couldn’t convert their advantage into goals.

5. Although Argentina won, the issues exposed in the match against Uruguay have not been completely resolved. However, Scaloni, the current coach, indeed doesn’t have a better solution at the moment. After all, the world champions have been thoroughly studied by experts from all over. Next, he will face off against renowned coaches from various countries with real battles.

6. Looking to the future—when Brazil visits Argentina, rest assured, the Argentine fans will make an even bigger fuss than today to get their revenge. This post serves as proof, feel free to check.

Finally, here are two previous prediction posts:

First, predicting an Argentine defeat in this game (I got it wrong but I’m still happy about it):

How do you evaluate Argentina’s 0-2 loss to Uruguay in the World Cup qualifiers on November 17th?

Second, it’s a speculation about Messi gradually fading out of the national team:

Otamendi scores a soaring goal as Argentina defeats Paraguay 1-0 in the World Cup qualifiers. How do you evaluate this match where Messi came off the bench twice and hit the post?

Argentina vs Brazil: Fiery Rivalry and Intense Match

There are no friendly matches in South America, and Argentina and Brazil can be considered eternal rivals, so the two teams played with a lot of tension on the field. Throughout the game, there were a total of 42 fouls, 3 yellow cards, and 1 red card. It can be said that neither team was able to showcase their own advantages.

De Paula and Macalist are playing as the official designated ball and the substitute ball for this match, and they have appeared more frequently in this game than the goal scorer Otamendi. It can only be said that it’s fortunate that Neymar isn’t on the field.