Argentina Humiliates Brazil Without Messi

La Albiceleste have officially qualified for the 2026 World Cup.

Is there life without Messi? That was the big question for Argentina heading into their home clash against Brazil. And the answer turned out to be a resounding yes. The 2026 World Cup qualifier ended in a historic 4-1 thrashing of Seleção.

Before the match, Brazil and Barcelona forward Raphinha appeared on a podcast with football legend Rivaldo. Naturally, the fiery Brazilian duo couldn’t resist talking about the upcoming classic of world football — and they did so in a provocative tone. Raphinha even promised to beat the Albiceleste, not just win, but do it in an "exotic, sensual" fashion.

Yikes! Bold words — but can you back them up? The first few minutes at Estadio Monumental cast serious doubt on that. By the 12th minute, Dorival Júnior’s team was already two goals down. The reigning world champions came out with full intensity. Argentina quickly took control of possession and surrounded Brazil’s penalty area. The first goal-scoring attack was initiated by Rodrigo De Paul.

The Atlético Madrid midfielder switched play to the left wing, where Tagliafico found Thiago Almada. The Botafogo midfielder passed to Julián Álvarez, who burst past the Brazilian defense and poked the ball past keeper Bento into the net.

Moments later, Nahuel Molina whipped in a cross from the right. A slight deflection didn’t stop Enzo Fernández from smashing it home — 2-0. Brazil looked completely disjointed.

Their defense was wide open, and the attack lacked any structure. One brief spark came from Argentina’s Cristian Romero, whose hesitation on the ball led to a turnover by Matheus Cunha. The Wolves striker fired a long-range shot from outside the box into the bottom left corner — 2:1. But in the 37th minute, Alexis Mac Allister restored Argentina’s two-goal lead after an assist from Enzo.

The nightmare first half for Brazil ended at 3-1. Dorival Júnior made three changes at the break, but they had little impact. Argentina smartly managed the game from then on, switching into pragmatic mode. The match got rougher, too. The referee dished out yellow cards like candy — 10 in total for both teams combined.

Still, the goals kept coming — mostly from the home side. In the 71st minute, substitute Giuliano Simeone (on for Almada) scored his first-ever goal for the national team. Another Atlético player got on the scoresheet, this time assisted by Nico Tagliafico. Yes, it was a big day for the Colchoneros.

The result was a dominant demolition of Argentina’s eternal rivals. A huge boost of confidence in the absence of the world’s best player. And perhaps most importantly — Argentina secured their ticket to the 2026 World Cup. In fact, qualification had already been clinched before the match, thanks to the 0-0 draw between Uruguay and Bolivia.

Lionel Scaloni’s men became the first South American team to book their place at the next World Cup. Brazil, meanwhile, slipped to fourth place in the CONMEBOL qualifying group after their Buenos Aires fiasco.

Interestingly, before this match, Argentina had last thrashed Brazil back on June 3, 1964, in a friendly that ended 3-0. Next time, Raphinha might want to choose his words a bit more carefully.

Published by Patrick Jane
27.03.2025