Violent clash between police, fans delays Brazil-Argentina clash
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The start of the World Cup qualifier between Brazil and Argentina was delayed by half an hour on Wednesday (AEDT) after police clashed with fans at Maracana Stadium.
Locals and Argentinian fans started fighting during the playing of the national anthems prompting the Brazilian police, armed with night sticks, to charge the visiting contingent, who responded by ripping up and throwing seats at the officers.
Police officers were armed with batons at the Maracana.Credit: Getty Images
Fans near the trouble panicked and came onto the pitch to escape the fighting. One Argentina fan lay prone on the pitch with a bloodied face before being taken from the stadium on a stretcher.
The Argentina team, led by captain Lionel Messi, went over to the terraces to try and calm the situation before leaving the pitch and returning to the dressing room.
The world champion Argentina team eventually returned once the police had corralled the travelling fans in a pen and the match between South America’s fiercest soccer rivals started after a delay of about 30 minutes.
“We saw how they were hitting the people, it already happened in the Libertadores final. We were more focused on that than on the game and went to the locker room because it was the best way to calm everything down, a tragedy could have happened,” Argentina captain Lionel Messi told reporters.
Argentina players went over to try to defuse the situation in the crowd.Credit: Getty Images
Rio police said they had arrested eight people due to the brawl.
The world champions won 1-0 thanks to a Nicolas Otamendi header in the second-half and handed their fiercest rivals a third consecutive loss as Brazil came into the match having conceded back-to-back defeats in World Cup qualifiers for the first time in their history.
Messi’s squad celebrated for more than 10 minutes on the pitch after their win.
It was also Brazil’s first ever home loss in a World Cup qualifier and their third consecutive loss in the round-robin tournament. Argentina top the standings on 15 points with Brazil eight points behind in sixth place, the last spot that guarantees a berth at the 2026 World Cup.
Police clashed with fans.Credit: Getty Images
It was also the first time since 2009 that the five-time World Cup winners failed to score in a home game.
Many fans went to the Maracana to watch Messi in likely his last match in Brazil, a superclasico against the hosts. Messi left the pitch in the 78th minute amid a mixture of jeers and applause from Brazil fans. Dozens of children arrived at the Maracana wearing the shirts of Barcelona, the star’s previous club, and Inter Miami.
The Argentine star was unable to end one of his last barriers in the sport, though, failing to score against the Brazilians in a World Cup qualifier at the Maracana.
Reuters, AP
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