Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates were seen walking off the field as violence broke out in the crowd at the Maracana Stadium in Brazil on Wednesday ahead of a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match – here is what happened.
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The Albiceleste made history in the early hours of Wednesday morning as they became the first team to beat Brazil in Brazil in a World Cup qualifying fixture, thanks to a goal from veteran defender Nicolas Otamendi in the second half.
The achievement will live long in the memory of Argentina supporters, though so will the horrific events in the stands that preceded the titanic South American encounter.
According to The Guardian, fights broke out among Brazilian and Argentine fans during the national anthems, with some supporters close to the chaos entering the field to escape the violent scenes, which included policemen striking fans with batons.
Messi urged the match officials in charge to try calm the situation down before the 36-year-old, who ordered his teammates to follow him, headed for the dressing room for more than 10 minutes in a bid to ensure proceedings only resumed after matters had relaxed.
?? Furious Lionel Messi telling the team that they will not play in circumstances like that pic.twitter.com/O2JcVFIpvd
— All About Argentina ?????? (@AlbicelesteTalk) November 22, 2023
Speaking after the 2022 World Cup champions' triumph, the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain playmaker admitted that, during the scenes ahead of the game, the actual qualifier became an overthought.
"The truth is that this group continues to achieve historic things, once again," he said, according to The Guardian.
"Obviously, at the beginning it was bad because we saw how they were beating people. You think about the family, the people who are there, who don't know what's going on and we are more concerned about that than playing a match. At that point the match was secondary.
"After that, winning this game like this I think is one of the most important wins that this group has achieved. It is something very nice to be able to win here in Brazil, after how strong they have been at home throughout their history."
This is the second time Argentina has beaten Brazil 1-0 at the Maracana since 2021, after defeating the Selecao by the same scoreline in the most recent Copa America final.
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