Jagdopfer Messi and Neymar fire up Superclasico

A brutal foul against Lionel Messi and endless provocations against Neymar did not put South America’s football giants Brazil and Argentina off the road to success towards the 2022 World Cup.

Argentina’s soccer journal Ole called it a “criminal kick”, for Clarin it was “brutal”, La Nacion wrote of an “almost broken leg”: when the studs of Venezuela’s defender Adrian Martinez drove straight into Lionel Messi’s shin the shock in the limbs of all observers.

The usual hunting scenes against the superstars of the South American World Cup qualification would have claimed their most prominent victim by just a few centimeters.

Almost the same picture across the continent. After the final whistle, a Selecao bodyguard even had to pull Neymar off the pitch after the final whistle, provoked by his Chilean opponents. The violence did nothing: Brazil scored its seventh Eliminatorias victory – a start record – with a 1-0 (0-0) win in Chile, and Argentina, thanks to the 3-1 (1-0) win in Venezuela, remained steadfastly on course for the World Cup finals in Qatar in 2022.

The Superclasico on Sunday is still heated. The revenge for the Copa America final 57 days ago at the Maracana, when Messi ruined his friend Neymar’s home party with a 1-0. After the shared time in Barcelona (2013-2017), the specs have been reunited at France’s exceptional club Paris St. Germain a few days ago. Last Sunday, the Brazilian made way for the Argentine for his PSG debut in a 2-0 win against Stade Reims.

Brazil: Neymar overweight?

Now they are together again, but as opponents and still far from their best form, on the lawn. In Caracas, after vacation and alternating theater, Messi could not put his stamp on the gaucho game. In Santiago de Chile, some of the Selecao fans even saw an allegedly overweight Neymar.

The 29-year-old shouldn’t care, after all, with the ideal yield of 21 points, the Selecao can hardly be dissuaded from the World Cup course two game days before halftime of the Eliminatorias. And the Argentines are six points behind, but also six points ahead of the first team outside the qualifying zone, also on the right path.

When spectators returned to international matches on the continent, Brazil turned the game and chances on their head in the 64th minute in front of the reduced crowd of 10,800 fans, thanks to Everton Ribeiro, who was substituted at the break.

National coach Tite had to do without nine potential starting players who did not get approval from their English employers because the pandemic area Brazil is on the red corona list on the island.

Argentina’s victory in Caracas in front of 6,000 eyewitnesses was made easier by the red card from Martinez (32nd), who had only recently been substituted on. After the brutal foul against superstar Messi, Lautaro Martinez (45th + 2), Joaquin Correa (71st) and Angel Correa (74th) converted the superiority of the guests into goals.

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