“You have to beat them up”,, “Let them go fucking”. The list of footballers who, obviously, would have made it better to remain silent before a match lengthened by the name of the Brazilian Raphinha, who faced Argentina with his selection on Tuesday evening in Buenos Aires. This shock from South America has clearly turned to the advantage of the defending world champions: the Albiceleste beat the 4-1 seleçao. Thanks to the draw (0-0) between Bolivia and Uruguay, the Argentines knew before the meeting that, whatever the result, they were qualified for the 2026 World Cup.
Since 2019 and a final of the COPA American (1-0), Brazil no longer wins against its historic continental rival (4 defeats and 1 draw). On the outward journey, in November 2023, Argentina had established itself at the Maracana (1-0) after a tense match, on the field and in the stands. The Seleçao was therefore revealing and presented itself in a very offensive configuration (four attackers, Matheus Cunha, Raphinha, Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo) in the hope of reverse the trend.
But it was the Argentinian Julian Alvarez, alone at the forefront of the Argentinian orphan attack from his playing master Lionel Messi, who shone the first. Served at the corner of the surface by Lyonnais Thiago Almada, he took advantage of a favorable counter between two defenders to get ahead of the outing of Bento (1-0, 4e). Eight minutes later, a center of Romero perfectly cut by the middle of Chelsea Enzo Fernandez at six meters hits the bull’s eye (2-0, 12e).
The question of Lionel Messi’s longevity
The Brazilian pressing ended, however, by paying on a gross defensive error of Romero being stealed the ball in the feet by Cunha, which chained a cross shot to beat a “Dibu” Martinez, the Argentinian goalkeeper, not irreproachable (2-1, 27e). Still in the first half, Mac Allister tripled the bet for world champions, served wonderfully with a lobed pass in the surface of Enzo Fernandez (3-1, 37e). At 71e Minute, Giuliano Simeone, who had just entered into play, definitively sealed the meeting.
2022 world champion, winner of COPA America in 2021 and 2024 and now first qualified in the AMSUD area for the 2026 World Cup, Argentina never ceases to establish its domination over South American football.
The Albiceleste can now turn to an ambitious dream of doubles after having conquered the Supreme Trophy, in 2022, against France (3-3, 4 Tab 2), in Qatar. Only the question of the longevity of his star Lionel Messi, who will be 39 years old in June 2026.e Make way with Uruguay and Paraguay.