The expected climate of hostility in the duel between Brazil and Argentina on Tuesday (25), in Buenos Aires, was only expectation. Especially because they wanted the owners of the house. Instead of retreating the promise of “beating” made by a little raphinha on the eve of the game, the Argentines knocked out the green and yellow team with an engaging football, dominant and an elastic score: 4 to 1.
It was the perfect screening to crown the early classification of the 2026 World Cup leaders. Even before the ball rolled at the Monumental Stadium, River Plate’s house, the Argentines celebrated the goalless draw between Bolivia and Uruguay, who sealed the current world champions.
The Bolivians, in the seventh position of the qualifying, went to 14 points and have only four more games to play. At most, they would reach 26. Argentina now adds 31. The top six guarantee direct vacancy for the World Cup. The seventh still disputes a recap.
Defeated, Brazil fell a position and appears only fourth, with 21 points, six more than the Venezuelans, who appear in the seventh position. In the final stretch of the qualifiers, the place for the 2026 World Cup does not seem threatened. What really worries is the football that the team has presented.
In Tuesday’s classic, Dorival Junior’s team was dominated. Ball possession statistics, which does not always portray exactly what was a match, this time is a good example of how Brazilians have almost seen the color of the ball. With 57%, Argentina spent much of the confrontation exchanging objective passes, seeking the attack and sewing the Brazilian defense to reach the goal.
Only in the first half did they leaked Benedict’s goal three times. Julián Alvarez, Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister marked, respectively, at 4, 12 and 37 minutes. Matheus Cunha, in one of the rare bids of danger to visitors, discounted at 26.
The owners of the house went to the interval applauded by the thousands of fans who filled the stadium and chanted the songs that packed Argentina in the Qatar Cup campaign in 2022 – in edition, Brazil then commanded by Tite fell in the quarterfinals, against Croatia, penalties.
It didn’t even look like they played without their biggest star. Bruised, Lionel Messi was out of the game, as well as Neymar, on the Brazilian side, also recovering from an injury.
It was the first time since 2005 that neither was on the field in the largest classic in the Americas. In the last 20 years, there have been 20 confrontation between the two teams, five with the two on the field and 15 with at least one present.
Organized, the Argentine team knew how to deal with the absence of its historic shirt 10. Brazil, on the other hand, was not only the absence of Neymar on its list of embezzlement.
After the 2-1 win against Colombia in the last round, Dorival was forced to make six changes to the team, forced by injuries, suspensions and technical option.
Even with the disfigured cast, the Brazilians made a point of showing confidence before the game. Raphinha even rose the tone. During an interview with former player Romário, he even said that he would “bend in them” (Argentines), on and off the field, to win.
The promise did not translate into more impetus in the field. On the contrary, no one from the team was saved in the bad performance.
After the domain in the first half, the control of home owners remained. Even without the volume of goals from the initial 45 minutes, the Argentines continued to create good chances – they performed the duel with seven right submissions against only one of the Brazilians.
One of them also ended in the back of the net on 25 minutes, when Giuliano Simeone finished strong to score the fourth goal.
On the edge of the field, Dorival seemed more stunned than his players. No bank options to make a significant change in the game – reflex of his own calls in the call – the coach did not know what to do to help Brazil. His position has never been as threatened as now just over a year for the World Cup.
The Canarinho Team has problems in all its sectors. But the defense is the greatest example of this bad phase faced by the team. In the World Cup qualifiers dispute of 2022, in 17 games, Brazil conceded only five goals. In the current dispute, there are already 16.
Under shouts of “olé” of its fans, Argentina still maintained its taboo against Brazil. 16 years ago, they have not lost the classic at home. The last Brazilian victory there took place in 2009, under the command of Dunga, for the qualifiers, 3-1.
Brazil has not been playing football for a long time to reproduce a similar score against its biggest rival.
Tuesday’s rout was the worst in the history of the Canarinho National Team in qualifying. Before, the worst result was a 3-0 for Chile in 2000.
It was also the first time Brazil has lost both games to Argentina in the World Cup classification tournament dispute. In 2023, it was surpassed in Maracanã 1-0.
Argentina 4 x 1 Brazil
Local: Monumental Stadium, in Buenos Aires (ARG)
Data: March 25, 2025 (Tuesday)
Time: 21h (from Brasilia)
Arbitrator: Andres Rojas (Colombia)
Yellow cards: Tagliafico, Almada, Otamendi, Paul and Enzo Fernández (Argentina) and Murillo, Raphinha, André, Leo Ortiz and Endrick (Brazil)
Goals
Argentina: Julián Alvarez, Enzo Fernández and Mac Allister, at 5, 12 and 37 minutes of the 1st half; Simeone, 27 minutes of the 2nd half;
Brazil: Matheus Cunha, 26 minutes from the 1st half
Argentina: Dibu Martínez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi and Tagliafico (Medina); Rodrigo de Paul, Leandro Paredes (Palacios), Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister (Nico Paz); Thiago Almada (Simeone) and Julián Álvarez (Correa)
Technical: Lionel Scaloni
Brazil: Bento, Wesley, Marquinhos, Murillo (Leo Ortiz) and Guilherme Arana; André (Éderson), Joelinton (João Gomes) and Raphinha; Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo (Endrick) and Matheus Cunha (Savinho).
Technical: Dorival Junior
