Key events
All hail the resilience of Argentina’s side here. They spent the pregame warmup interceding in the stands where their fans were battling Brazilian fans and security personnel. Then they endured 26 fouls. And Brazil strung together some attacks that posed problems for the Argentine defense.
But that defense held, and they put away the only serious chance they had.
Must feel nice to walk away with this result. The standings, again, hardly matter – Argentina will walk into the next World Cup – but this will be remembered as a brave performance under pressure.
That’s all for now. See you next time, when I’ll hopefully be covering something less violent. Maybe a UFC card.
You can read the full report from tonight’s game here:
Updated live table
Peru and Venezuela are still playing, but the other four games in South America tonight have concluded, including a 1-0 win for Ecuador over Chile.
So with Peru leading 1-0, the table looks like this:
15 pts: Argentina
13: Uruguay (beat Bolivia 3-0)
12: Colombia (beat Paraguay 1-0)
8: Venezuela
8: Ecuador
7: Brazil
5: Paraguay
5: Chile
4: Peru
3: Bolivia
The top six teams qualify. The seventh-place team goes to playoffs.
Brazil will be fine. Just not tonight.
Argentina’s players immediately head toward the corner of the stadium where their fans, who were on the receiving end of some truncheons a couple of hours ago, are now standing and singing in full voice. It’s steamy in Rio, but revenge is a dish best served cold.
That’s not to say Argentina’s fans were blameless. We don’t know. There will surely be some investigations here.
Full time: Brazil 0-1 Argentina
Are you not entertained?
What? You’re not? Yeah, that’s fair.
90 mins +6: A cheeky 55-yard shot lands in Alisson’s hands. More importantly, that eats up a few previous seconds, and …
90 mins +4: Argentina have it now, and they’re passing the ball around to the dismay of what’s left of the Brazilian crowd.
But they turn it over near midfield. Free kick to Brazil, and they get a couple of half-chances before taking a low-percentage shot that rolls neatly into the hands of Martinez.
90 mins +3: Another high ball floated into the Argentine penalty area, and again, Martinez reaches into the sky and returns with the ball safely in his hands. He’s had a memorable night.
90 mins +2: Another Brazilian foul, and they’re caught napping on the restart, which Argentina quickly play into the penalty area. But they recover and collect the ball.
90 mins: Speaking of Martinez, the Argentine keeper puts his body on the line to collect a high cross and handles it well. He’ll require a few seconds to shake off the effects of colliding with a player and the ground.
Six minutes of stoppage time for Brazil to avoid a distressing defeat.
89 mins: Brazil is up to 25 fouls now. Still time to get 30. But they’re moving the ball around in the Argentine half with, if not a sense of urgency, considerable poise.
86 mins: Reckless tackle by Argentina, and Brazil get a free kick from near the benches. It swings tantalizingly over the area but finds no attacker in position to shoot.
Justin Kavanaugh takes issue with Emiliano Martinez reaching into the stands to interfere with security, but I’d withhold judgment on that. This will require a review to see if security protected Argentine fans or made things much worse for them.
Red card to Joelinton
If you bet against the game ending with 22 players, as a few of us advised earlier, you may now cash in your bet.
But this one seems a little harsh, to be honest. The Brazilian forward is tied up at midfield and reacts with an impetuous shove. But it’s not particularly violent.
Of course, it’s once again De Paul absorbing the contact. But you don’t give straight red cards for persistent infringement.
80 mins: That said, how did I get “Peredes”? I suppose it’s a good sign that this game is now compelling me to devote my attention that way and not to what I’m typnkjkjnskjg
77 mins: Daniel Vergara chimes in: “I commend your effort to make sure you get one vowel wrong on every Argentine player’s name (you’ve done it with Otamendi, Paredes, and Tagliafico in the last few minutes alone).”
I’ll be happy to lend them one of mine.
And I need a new keyboard.
More subs, and they will not include a new Argentine keeper. They will include a departure for Messi, who has been virtually invisible since leading his team off the field during the pregame nastiness. Di Maria replaces him.
75 mins: Expounding upon the last Argentine substitution window – it was Gonzalez and Paredes for Lo Celso and Fernandez.
Martinez is now seated on the ground waiting for a trainer.
73 mins: Thomas Tierney writes: “Might have been a bit harsh on De Paul earlier, he may not have the technical ability of his colleagues in midfield but his work rate and desire to cover others’ defensive responsibilities are unmatched. Despite enjoying the style Diniz is employing, perhaps if he had a De Paul in the team he wouldn’t be staring 3 consecutive defeats.”
Perhaps, though I thought he was beaten a few times. But I’m not sure I’d be able to run after taking all this punishment. Not that I can run now.
72 mins: Farewll to Raphinha. On comes the 17-year-old Endrick for Brazil.
Also, Joelinton replaces Gabriel Magalhaes.
70 mins: Lo Celso jogs off, taking steps of about six inches at a time, as he departs the Argentine side for the evening. Paredes is in. There was a second sub as well.
69 mins: Barbara Seese writes: “The game is kind of a mess, but I’m enjoying your commentary. It’s 66 degrees F in Phoenix, AZ (USA). Just thought I’d throw that in …”
Is that an invitation to visit? How quickly can I get there? I’m listening to rain pounding my roof and windows.
67 mins: Dangerously close to an own goal to double the advantage as Lo Celso puts a free kick close to one post.
Hey, doesn’t Argentina have a player who’s pretty good? Just signed this summer with Inter Miami? What’s his name again? Is he out there on the field?
66 mins: Raphinha tries to answer immediately, but the Brazilian attack again meanders to an acute angle.
Tagliafico replaces Acuna for Argentina.
GOOOOALLL! Brazil 0-1 Argentina (Otamendi 63)
It’s a simple play in the end. Lo Celso’s corner kick goes to the middle of the area, where Otamendi rises above his marker and heads into the net. No chance for Alisson, no defender on the line.
62 mins: Something brewing here for Argentina? A couple of good turns at one corner of the penalty area, a centering pass, a shot smashed into the defense, a shot deflected for a corner, and …
61 mins: Argentina regain control in what has slowly evolved into a compelling game. The visitors have had more than 57% of the possession thus far.
58 mins: CHANCE, and that was a good one for the Brazilian breakaway, with Gabriel Jesus off to the races on the left before centering for Martinelli near the top of the area. Martinez makes a good save on the well-struck shot.
The best attacking moment of the night by either side, by some distance.
56 mins: Brazil call off the press momentarily, and that appears to be a bad idea. Maybe we’ve all forgotten this, but Argentina have a lot of decent players.
55 mins: A shot. Sort of. Raphinha dances along the end line and ends up one-on-one with Martinez, but he has no logical angle at which to shoot. He’ll settle for the moral victory of making Argentina’s keeper do something.
54 mins: Apologies for this belated update, but Nino has replaced Marquinhos for Brazil. The home side are continuing to press the action. They also have yet to commit a foul in this half.
50 mins: Karris Evans writes: “It’s currently 10am here in Western Australia and the match is live on Free-to-Air tv. It’s 35 degrees already so I can empathise with the players in the hot Maracana! 8 arrests have been made from the earlier fracas, our commentator (from the English international feed) has just informed us. Brazilian fans who got into that small away fans section.”
I think it’s close to 35 degrees where I am, too. Unfortunately, in my case, that’s Fahrenheit, and it’s raining. It’s what people think happens in England but is actually a major part of the climate along the USA’s mid-Atlantic coast.
Brazil still with solid possession in the Argentine half.
49 mins: Ho Wi-Chi, on the other hand, is not amused: “Half the time the players are rolling on the ground pretending a serious injury while they are able to foul in the next minutes. This is simply a waste of time and a disgrace to football.”
But we’ve just been graced by another keen sequence of passes from Brazil that was one good touch away from being a serious scoring chance.
Andy writes: “I’ve been watching football for more than 50 years, and this is one of the funniest, most entertaining spectacles ever! As a QPR fan, perhaps my bar is set rather low but nevertheless, the s—housery is splendid, and we even get odd bursts of brilliant movement here and there. I’m loving it!”
Let’s just hope QPR don’t get any ideas from this …
46 mins: Oh, they kicked off again. I’ll let you know if actual soccer is played.
The pregame fighting …
Maybe the most astonishing part of the skirmishes in the stands before this game was the sight of Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez reaching up in an apparent effort to get the police to quit hitting people.
Hat tip to FanNation for that.
That’s also the lead photo on this story on the unrest:
Thomas Tierney writes: “As much as I’d have loved to have seen the full 10 minutes injury time of De Paul getting kicked all over the pitch, I think I’ll be happier in the morning with 3, especially considering the delayed start.”
I would agree that less is more at this point.
Simon James again: “This game has been chaotic. An unstructured mess. And not in an entertaining way. In a high press, pinball, excessive fouling way. No discernible patterns of play, no fluidity, neither team can keep the ball for more than a handful of passes. The only moments of quality have come from Gabriel Martinelli.”
I’d only argue slightly that we have seen a few sequences of brilliant moves, but Martinelli is indeed the one person you’d select from this game and say, “Yes, I’d like to see this person play again.”
Halftime: Brazil 0-0 Argentina
We’ve had as many game-delaying brawls as we’ve had scoring chances.
We’ve had 16 Brazilian fouls. Argentina have tried to fight back with six.
Your soccer-hating friend is texting to you to gloat about how this is a sport full of shirt-pulling and embellished injuries.
45 mins +1: That’ll be three minutes, which seems stingy.
Gabriel reaches around Alvarez’s neck to pull him down, and the Argentine continues to play while on the ground being kicked by various Brazilian players who seem agitated when our referee reminds them this is not how you play this game.
45 mins: We will have stoppage time. I have neither heard nor seen a number. Maybe they’re still adding.
44 mins: CHANCE, and it’s cleared off the line after Martinez punches the corner kick out to the top of the area, where Martinelli threads a shot through the people in the box but not the Argentine defender on the line, whose identity I didn’t catch.
43 mins: Another corner for Brazil, thanks to a deflected shot from Rodrygo, and the Brazilian attacker waves his arms to urge on the crowd.
41 mins: Argentina decide to demonstrate their own mastery of possession futbol, stringing together an impressive series of passes broken up at last by a slide from Raphinha.
Messi is once again receiving treatment very high up on his leg.
40 mins: I’m sure Argentina will eventually take this throw-in. They seem to be daring Piero Maza to flash another yellow card.
37 mins: Another good combination form Brazil, and it ends with Guimaraes effectively shielding the ball and drawing contact for a free kick from a dangerous location.
Players are taking in water every chance they get. Conditions are warm and quite humid.
Raphinha takes the kick, and it’s not far over the bar. And it deflected off the wall, so this will be a corner for Brazil.
36 mins: Another nifty move from Martinelli past the unfortunate De Paul, but he presses his luck too far and eventually cedes possession.
For all their cynicism, Brazil seem more likely to do something with the ball.
34 mins: Yellow to Carlos Augusto for a needless foul.
Then Brazil goes about as close to Route 1 football as it gets, and Martinez has to rush out to impose himself just outside the penalty area.
31 mins: More Brazilian pressure. Argentina find a pathway through and settle at midfield. Then someone gets a notion of sending a through ball, but Alisson quickly collects and sends it up the left to Martinelli, who brilliantly slips past two defenders.
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
