Argentina dominated their World Cup qualifying encounter against arch rivals Brazil on Tuesday night. Earlier in the evening, Uruguay and Bolivia drew 0-0, guaranteeing Lionel Scaloni’s team a spot at the 2026 World Cup before the game ever started.
They would have wanted to defeat their strong rivals and hurt their chances of competing with them the next year, even though they had already qualified. With goals from Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister, and Giuliano Simeone, Argentina crushed their opponents 4-1, getting precisely what they desired.
After the crushing loss, Brazil is undoubtedly in grief, but Raphinha may be more so than most. Prior to the game, the Barcelona winger was quite optimistic about his team’s prospects of victory. According to the Mirror, he said to Romario:
“If needed, we will physically assault them both on and off the pitch. I’m going to score. They’re free to fuck themselves! It hurts, but you have to whack them in Argentina! They’re b*******.
Lionel Scaloni Responds to Remarks Made by Raphinha
The post-match interview with the Argentine manager has gone viral.
In the lead-up to the game, Raphinha’s remarks created a lot of controversy due to their extreme incendiary nature. Throughout the game, Argentina’s players made sure to agitate the Brazilian, and Leandro Paredes and Nicolas Otamendi were among those who got into altercations with him.
After the game, Scaloni was asked how he felt about Raphinha’s remarks, and his elegant remarks went viral. According to Globo, he stated:
“I forgive Raphinha because I am aware that he was defending his team and that it was not his intention. We would play our game and they would play theirs, statements or not. Since he probably didn’t want to upset anyone, I forgive him.
Lionel Scaloni: “I forgive Raphinha because I know he didn’t do it on purpose, he’s defending his country. I’m completely sure he didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”
"There’s no need for statements for the game to be played this way. We didn’t play like this because of that." pic.twitter.com/g7Rqfh8qHu
— All About Argentina
(@AlbicelesteTalk) March 26, 2025
Brazil has only won six of their 14 World Cup qualifying games and amassed just 21 points, indicating their current struggles. They are on track to make it to the tournament the following year, but they aren’t playing like a squad that can win the world championship again.
Scaloni was quite appreciative of Brazil despite their difficulties and expressed confidence that they will soon return to their peak. “It seems like I have friends everywhere, and it’s true,” he added. Brazil will always be Brazil, and I played on teams with Brazilians all around me.
It’s a challenging moment, and it will undoubtedly experience this because Brazil has a similar past to Argentina’s. Five World Cups. That tells you everything. They must overcome this situation; they have a football culture that is envied, and if they ever ceased to exist, they will revert to their former self.
“They’re in competition. They have fantastic players and football fans who haven’t experienced those Brazilian teams yet if they feel they aren’t performing well. They’ll be back. I support Brazil, but I hope not against Argentina.
