Argentina’s victorious match against Brazil began with a mass fight among fans
A massive brawl occurred in the stands before the match between Argentina and Brazil as part of the qualification for the 2026 World Cup. This was reported by a Lenta.ru correspondent.
Before the start of the match, Brazilian fans booed the Argentine anthem, resulting in a brawl in the stands. During the fight, fans threw chairs at each other.
After some time, the police joined the conflict. Law enforcement officers, trying to stop the fight, beat the fans with batons. Several fans had their heads broken, they had to be hospitalized, and some spectators were detained. Two fans were reported seriously injured and were carried from the stands on stretchers, while dozens suffered less serious injuries.
Photo: Ricardo Moraes/Reuters
Messi led the team off the field before the conflict was resolved
Argentina players initially watched from the field. Players from both teams addressed fans and asked them to stop the riots. Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez ran up to the stands and tried to take the baton from a police officer, but he was stopped by stadium security and his teammates.
After some time, the captain of the Argentina national team, Lionel Messi, decided to take the team off the field. He later criticized the actions of the police and called the incident repression.
There were relatives of the players in the stands, and we were worried. The importance of the game was secondary and we went to the locker room to calm things down
Before the match, Messi got into an altercation with Brazilian Rodrigo
When the Argentina team returned from the locker room, another conflict occurred on the field. Before the start of the match, Messi and his teammate Rodrigo de Paul approached the Brazilian Rodrigo. There was a verbal altercation between the players; Messi grabbed his opponent by the neck.
Photo: Buda Mendes/Getty Images
As reported by TyC Sports on the social network X, Rodrigo called the Argentines who left the field cowards. “We are world champions, what kind of cowards are we? Watch your language,” Messi told him.
The meeting in Rio de Janeiro, which began with a half-hour delay, ended in victory for the Argentines
The reigning world champions won with a score of 1:0. The only goal was scored by defender Nicolas Otamendi.
The Argentina national team with 15 points maintains first place in the standings of the South American qualifying zone. Brazil has seven points and is in sixth place.
Source: Lenta
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
