Argentina faced Uruguay in their recent World Cup Qualifier clash at home. The two nations have always seen fierce matches played between them over the years. If Argentina had bolstered stars like Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria, Uruguay would also be heavy-weighted with players such as Luis Suarez and Darwin Nunez.
However, the match turned fierce as a heated exchange of words resulting in an on-field brawl took place between both sets of players. As per the reports, Lionel Messi, who is known for his calm persona on the field, also got involved in the brawl this time.
Reports suggest Uruguayan player Manuel Ugarte made an obscene gesture towards Argentina’s Rodrigo De Paul during the match. As per the reports, Ugarte, while making the gesture, also called Rodrigo De Paul a “me*tmuncher”. As the words exchanged between the two players started to get ugly, Leo intervened and was spotted shoving the Uruguayan player and then holding his neck.
Ugarte called Rodrigo De Paul a meatmuncher 😭pic.twitter.com/pYFuaIFvxE
— Sami 🇹🇷 (@Wamination11) November 17, 2023
Slowly, players from both teams flooded onto the scene. There have not been many instances when Argentina’s number ten has laid a finger on his opponent over the years. It can be inferred that the whole incident also unsettled and tested Messi’s patience.
Fans around the world have reacted to the gesture made by the Uruguayan player towards Rodrigo De Paul. One of the fans ironically commented, “Well he’s not wrong”. Another one chipped in and stated, “Nah he’s own him so hard”.
well, he’s not wrong
— Lars (@herelieslarss) November 17, 2023
A follower stated, “Nah career ended”. A fan reacted by writing, “Ugarte, my bro I was unfamiliar with your game Brodie”. It can be stated from the reactions that, despite the heated incident, fans have taken it on a lighter note.
Argentina suffers their first loss since FIFA World Cup 2022 triumph
Argentina ended up losing the World Cup Qualifier clash against Uruguay by a scoreline of 0-2. Uruguay scored the two goals in the 41st and 87th minutes of the match, respectively. The goal-scorers were Ronald Araujo and Darwin Nunez.
URUGUAY BEAT ARGENTINA 2-0 😱
It’s Argentina’s first loss since winning the World Cup 😳 pic.twitter.com/3PPGlIHcqs
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 17, 2023
As per the reports, it was Argentina’s first loss since they won the FIFA World Cup 2022 final against France. However, they still maintain their first spot in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualification table with four wins in their first five matches of the campaign.
Argentina won their first four qualification matches against Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Peru. They will face Brazil in their upcoming World Cup qualifier match away from home. Brazil currently sits in the 5th spot in the CONMEBOL qualification table with two wins in their first five matches.
So, it will be an important fixture for both teams. While Argentina will be looking to get back to winning ways, Brazil will treat the match as a must-win to boost their qualification chances.