Brazil vs Argentina – Messi Leaves The pitch in protest
The much-awaited World Cup Qualifier match between Brazil and Argentina at Maracana Stadium saw Brazilian police taking a violent route to deal with the Argentina fans. This violent activity resulted in a 30-minute delay in the match as Messi and other Argentina players left the field in protest.
In a blazing match between Brazil and Argentina, Argentina managed to beat Brazil narrowly by a margin of 1-0, thanks to Argentinian defender Nicolas Otamendi’s 63rd min goal.
Violence Erupts Between Local Police & Argentina Fans
The highlight of the game was not the scoreline of the game but the tension that erupted between the fans and the police. The matter escalated during the singing of the national anthems when locals and Argentinian fans clashed, this prompted the Brazilian police to take quick action and they started hitting the visiting nation fans. As the violence started, the audience panicked and started running to keep themselves safe, A few fans jumped to the pitch to stay safe.
The entire Argentina team requested everyone to stay calm as they felt the situation was getting out of hand, but to their disappointment the team had to leave the field to make sure the situation settled up. The Argentinian goalkeeper Emi Martinez was seen trying to defend the fans by stopping the police.
Meanwhile, the Brazilian team captain Marquinhos was seen trying to talk to the authorities, Messi, and other Argentina players to sort down the chaos. The Brazilian team stayed on the ground while the match was paused as they waited for Argentina to come back to the ground to resume the game.
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Reaction of Lionel Messi
Initially, Lionel Messi walked out of the pitch along with the other team members to calm down the situation. After a lot of convincing, the Argentinian team walked back to the pitch after 22 minutes and went on to win the game. Post Game, Messi was heard saying “We decided to leave the pitch as it was impossible to play under such circumstances, we were worried about the fans. Some of our players had their families in those stands. We saw how they [ Police ] were brutally beating the fans.”
After the Game, Messi didn’t hesitate to bring out his anger on Brazil’s Authorities, In a cryptic post Messi said “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!!”
The Match Result
After the violence was settled down, dozens of policemen covered the visiting team fans and helped in resuming the game. This was the first home defeat that the Brazilian team tasted in World Cup qualifier games, Brazil walked into this game with 51 victories, 13 tied games, and 0 losses in 64 games.
Post the victory, the Argentinian team walked toward their fans who were the victims of the violence, and celebrated the win while being heavily guarded by the Brazilian Police. Argentina sits in the first position with 12 points in 5 games, whereas Brazil is in 5th position with just 10 points.
