“Obviously, at first it was bad because we saw how they beat people. What will you think about your family, your relatives who are there, who don’t know what’s going on and we care more about that than playing a match.
At that time, the match was secondary”, Messi spoke after the match between Argentina and Brazil in the second match The 6 qualifying rounds of the 2026 World Cup in South America will take place on the morning of November 22 at Maracana Stadium (Brazil).
Messi and goalkeeper Martinez tried to prevent security forces in the stands from attacking Argentina fans (Photo: Sky Sport).
Messi and the Argentine players went into the locker room for more than 10 minutes when a big fight broke out between fans of the two teams before the match (Photo: Sky Sport).
The match was scheduled to take place at 7:30 a.m. (Vietnam time), but was delayed for more than 30 minutes when a fight broke out between Brazilian and Argentina fans in the stands. Notably, security forces at Marcana Stadium used batons to suppress many Argentina fans to stop the fight.
According to Sky Sport, captain Messi and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez rushed into the stands to ask a security guard to stop using batons to attack Argentina fans. The Argentinian players then left the field and returned to the locker room for more than 10 minutes.
Only when the tension on the field has calmed down will the match between Brazil and Argentina begin. Home field advantage with the support of a large number of home team fans on the field helps Brazil play hard against Argentina.
However, Nicolas Otamendi scored with a dangerous header to help Argentina win 1-0, thereby causing Brazil to lose at home for the first time in qualifying World Cup 2026.
This loss caused Brazil to drop to 6th place in the 2026 World Cup qualifying rankings in South America, 8 points behind top team Argentina.
“Winning a game like this I think is one of the most important wins that our team has done.
It’s great to be able to win in Brazil, after how strong they have been at home throughout their history”, captain Messi expressed his joy after the victory.
Argentinian players celebrate after an important victory against Brazil (Photo: AP).
The joy of Argentina fans at Maracana Stadium (Photo: AP).
The Argentinian player thanked the fans after the match ended (Photo: AP).
Notably, despite the victory against Brazil, Argentina’s head coach, Lionel Scaloni, shocked the media and fans when he announced that he would consider leaving the “hot seat” after this match.
“Argentina needs a coach with enough energy and good health. I need to stop and start thinking more carefully. I have a lot to think about during this time”, Coach Scaloni said at the press conference after the match.
