Argentina humiliated their fierce rivals Brazil 4-1 on Wednesday night a game overflowing with bad blood, taunts and flare-ups.
The tone had been set ahead of the World Cup qualifier in Buenos Aires when Barcelona star Raphinha warned that the Selecao ‘would beat up’ their old enemy.
And he was the focal point for much of the ire, with Argentina fans chanting ‘sub off Raphinha, you son of a b***h’ and Enzo Fernandez telling him he ‘talks too much’ in one particularly angry exchange.
Fernandez also mocked defender Leo Ortiz by sticking his tongue out and making a taunting expression before calling the Flamengo man a ‘fool’.
With Argentina 3-1 up and dominating, players of both sides clashed in a melee and Nicolas Otamendi could also be seen gesturing to Raphinha, telling him to ‘talk less’.
There was another flashpoint between Real Madrid star Rodrygo and Argentine midfielder Leandro Paredes.
Raphinha was in the heat of the battle having stoked the fires pre-game with his comments
Enzo Fernandez mocked Leo Ortiz and called him a ‘fool’, when his side were 4-1 up
Rodrygo told Paredes ‘you are very bad’ and the reply, accompanied with hand gestures, went: ‘I have a World Cup and two Copa Americas, you have none! You have zero.’
Victory was assured by the second half and there was a party atmosphere in Buenos Aires.
Scaloni’s side are now qualified for the World Cup and of course, chief wind-up merchant Emiliano Martinez had his chance to get a dig in during the game.
At one point, the Aston Villa goalkeeper began juggling the ball at the back, much to the annoyance of the opposition.
He bounced the ball three times off his knees as World Cup winning boss Lionel Scaloni watched on with his men 4-1 up.
And after the final whistle when the on-pitch humiliation was complete, jubilant Argentina players rubbed salt in the wounds.
Rodrigo De Paul, Otamendi and Fernandez chanted that the Brazil national side are ‘dead’.
They sang: ‘A minute of silence… Shhh! (makes a gesture of silence) For the Brazil that is dead.’
Argentina were jubilant and secured World Cup qualification with the 4-1 victory
It was a horrendous night for Brazil, who were humiliated and taunted by their old rivals
Raphinha has been enjoying a brilliant season for Barcelona but was humbled on Wednesday
Argentina were 3-0 ahead and cruising by half-time and hapless Brazil looked shell-shocked.
Julian Alvarez broke the deadlock before Fernandez, who enjoyed one of his best games for the national side, doubled the advantage.
Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister netted a lovely third before Giuliano Simeone scored his first international goal with an accomplished finish from a tight angle.
Murillo was the man scapegoated at half-time, hooked off by manager Dorival Junior and Brazil managed to stop the rot in the second period, netting a consolation through Matheus Cunha.
After the game, Brazil captain Marquinhos apologised to the fans.
After full time, the Argentina players chanted about the death of Brazilian football
Brazil captain Marquinhos apologised to Brazil fans after the one-sided defeat
It was a night to forget for Vinicius Jr in Argentina’s capital and Brazil look a disjointed side
‘What we did here today can’t happen again,’ he told Brazilian TV Globo. It’s hard to talk about it in the heat of the moment… It’s embarrassing.
‘We started the game very badly, far below what we could do and they’re on a great run of confidence. They knew how to play smart… I’m sorry for our fans.
‘It’s not just the coach’s fault… It’s the players’ fault too,’ Marquinhos added.
‘There’s no secret formula in football where you make a choice and it works out. We can all do better. We have to share the blame.’
Scaloni, meanwhile, was predictably delighted and said: ‘We played as a team and that’s why we minimised Brazil. We played at the highest level.’
‘We have to keep proving ourselves, but knowing that it won’t always be like this.’
