Conmebol Zone 2026 World Cup Qualification: Argentina Silences Rival

Nicolas Otamendi (left) Argentina's single goal scorer in the hot match against Brazil in the Conmebol Zone 2026 World Cup Qualifiers (Instagram/@aphaselecion).

JAKARTA - The sixth Matchday of the 2026 World Cup Qualification Zone Conmebol presents the classic and hot party between Brazil hosting Argentina at the Maracana Stadium on Wednesday, November 22, 2023 morning WIB.

This party full of rivalry has even started to heat up before the whistle sounded the mark of the kickoff. After the national anthem reverberated, supporters of the two teams were involved in a commotion.

Players from both teams had calmed the fans. However, the police action that beat supporters of Team Tango made the Argentine squad angry.

As a result, the match was delayed by about 30 minutes because Argentina captain Lionel Messi asked all the players to leave the field. He explained to referee Piero Maza that La Albiceleste would not enter the field until violence against supporters was stopped.

When the situation was conducive, the match started. The game was fierce from the start of the match. However, no goal was scored in the first half.

Argentina as the capacity to appear more dominant in possession in the first half. They collected 60 percent and produced three shots. However, none of their efforts hit the target.

The host's camp is fairly effective. They had four attempts to break into the La Albiceleste goal, one of which was successfully meeting the target.

However, Brazil seemed to be struggling to get out of the pressure of the visitors. No wonder they have to play hard to stop the opponent's dominance.

It was recorded that three yellow cards came out of the referee's pocket in the first half in a span of 30 minutes.

The condition of the second half is not much different from the first half. Argentina has taken over control of the game since the whistle sounded.

Tim Tango's efforts only resulted in a goal when the game entered the 63rd minute. Nicolas Otamendi successfully put Argentina ahead after using Giovani Lo Celso's pass.

The situation made Brazil react. They recorded three important opportunities, two of which were right on target.

However, Gabriel Jesus and colleagues have yet to get an equalizer. Strengthening the defense side of Argentina is due to the difficulty of Brazil scoring goals.

In the range 10 after the opener, Team Tango made a defensive turn. Nicolas Tagliafico replaces Marcos Acuna and Leandro Paredes overtaking Enzo Fernandes.

The scheme had to make Brazil rack their brains. They appeared full of attacking in the remaining 20 minutes of normal time. Not surprisingly, Fernando Diniz included attackers Endrick Felipe and Joelinton to shift the defensive posts of Raphinha and Gabriel Megalhaes.

However, the change paid no heed. In fact, Brazil was sinking after the player who had just entered, Joelinton, received a straight red card in the 81st minute.

This situation allowed Argentina to get out of pressure and take over the game again. As a result, the visitors were able to maintain their advantage until the match was over.

An additional three points makes Argentina now back to the top of the standings. They have collected a total of 15 points from six World Cup Qualification matches in the Conmebol Zone.