Brazil suffered their third consecutive defeat in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on November 21. Otamendi scored the only goal of the match for Argentina, but Alexis Mac Allister stole the spotlight with his post-match comments.
Argentina vs Brazil is one of the biggest rivalry in soccer. A win over your eternal rival is something to cherish for every player playing for either of these sides. The joy of a victory in the fixture might not be easy to express, but Mac Allister probably went a little too far with his words. The Liverpool midfielder commented after the match: “Winning against Brazil at Maracanã in a World Cup qualifiers is a p*rn.”
Facing Brazil at their home soil is a daunting task. The intensity of the occasion went off the roof as both sets of fans started fighting in the stands, which prompted the Brazilian police to use force against the Argentine supporters. The kick-off was delayed 30 minutes due to the incident, as the intense battle continued on the pitch once the match went underway.
Alexis Mac Allister: “Winning against Brazil at Maracanã in a World Cup qualifiers is a porn.” pic.twitter.com/WskfrHwdrw
— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) November 22, 2023
Nicolas Otamendi scored the winner via a header in the 63rd minute to secure a famous win in front of 69,000 fans at the Maracanã Stadium. Lionel Messi commented about the incident after the match: “This team continues to make history. Great victory at the Maracana although it will be marked by the repression of Argentina fans once again in Brazil. This madness can’t be tolerated, and it has to end now!!”
Argentina leads the South American qualifiers with 15 points in six matches. The result was the perfect response from the World Champions after a shocking defeat at home at the hands of Uruguay. This round of fixtures marks the end of international fixtures in 2023 for South American teams.
Argentina gave Brazil their first-ever home loss in WC qualifiers
This defeat will ring the alarm bells for Brazil. This is their third defeat in a row and fourth match without a win. They drew with Venezuela back in October and since then have suffered defeats against Uruguay, Colombia, and Argentina.
Dark days in Brazil. 🇧🇷
– First-ever home defeat in the World Cup qualifiers. ❌
– Three-straight losses for the first time since 2001. 📉
– Already more goals conceded in 2023 (14) than in 2020, 2021 and 2022 combined. 😳 pic.twitter.com/IoD3KNoTW0— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) November 22, 2023
This result at Maracanã ends their perfect World Cup qualifiers record at home. They entered into this match with an unbeaten streak of 64 matches at home. Since the qualification process began for the 1934 World Cup, Brazil won 51 matches and drew 13. Losing their first match after 64 matches is impressive but losing the streak to Argentina will surely hurt the Brazilian fans.
Brazil is now at the 6th spot on the qualification table with seven points after six matches. They are only two points above the 7th-place Paraguay and eight points behind Argentina, who are at the top. Fernando Diniz, the interim head coach of Brazil, needs to make some major changes ahead of the new year as they start their preparation for Copa América 2024 in the USA.