Against Argentina: “It’s a shame” – wild riots overshadow Superclasico

“There were family members of the players. We were more worried about that than about the game,” said superstar Lionel Messi about the bad scenes surrounding Argentina’s World Cup qualifying game in Brazil. The world champion won the game 1-0 at the legendary Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. It was the first defeat of the Brazilian national team in the history of World Cup qualification in front of a home crowd. However, the wild riots overshadowed the sporting events.

Even before kick-off, violence in the stands caused a delay. The professionals first tried to calm the situation and then went into the dressing room. The game therefore started with a 27-minute delay. “We did that because it was the way to calm everything down. We couldn’t do much from below. We saw how they beat people,” said Messi, reporting on the police operation. «It’s a shame to see what the Brazilian police are doing! So how can this be possible?” wrote Argentine defender Lisandro Martínez on Instagram after the game.

Fans of the two teams engaged in violent confrontations in the stands of the Maracanã Stadium, as was seen on television. The Brazilian police then used batons, especially against the Argentine fans. Video images show how some Argentine players tried to calm the situation. World Cup goalie Emiliano Martínez even tried to climb the stands to stop police officers from beating Argentine fans.

Football was still played after the riots. Nicolás Otamendi headed in from a corner in the 63rd minute to make it 1-0 for Argentina. Messi complained of pain in his right thigh twice in the first half and received treatment on the pitch. In the 78th minute he was finally substituted for Ángel Di María. The hosts played the final minutes outnumbered after Brazilian striker Joelinton was shown a red card for a blow to Rodrigo De Paul’s face in the 81st minute.

Most recently, Argentina and Brazil both made mistakes in the World Cup qualifying. Last week, Brazil beat Colombia 1-2 away. Argentina lost 2-0 at home to Uruguay. For Messi’s team it was the first defeat since the World Cup. After the victory in Rio, Argentina remains at the top of the table with 15 points after six match days, followed by Uruguay (13) and Colombia (12). Brazil is sixth with seven points.