Nicolas Otamendi scored with a towering header to give Argentina a 1-0 away win over Brazil in a bad-tempered World Cup qualifier that was delayed by half an hour on Tuesday after police clashed with fans at a sold-out Maracana Stadium.

The longstanding sporting rivalry between two of the most successful teams in world football hit fever pitch after the Brazilian police charged Argentinian fans in response to fighting in the stands during the national anthems.

The world champions, 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 for more than 10 minutes.

The players eventually returned and the match started in a tumult of noise as local fans roared their support of the five-time world champions, who were looking to get their campaign back on track after losing successive qualifiers for the first time.

Instead, Brazil plunged to a third straight defeat and first-ever loss at home in a World Cup qualifier to stand sixth in the standings, eight points behind leaders Argentina and in the last spot that guarantees a berth at the 2026 finals.

“The truth is that this group continues to achieve historic things, once again,” Messi told reporters.

“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...

“It already happened in the Libertadores final. We went to the locker room because it was the best way to calm everything down, it could have ended in tragedy.”

“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.”

After all the pre-match drama, it was a nervy first half with 22 fouls, three
bookings and several skirmishes as players frequently faced off and the referee flashed cards in a bid to calm the situation.

Brazil were arguably the better side and almost scored from a corner just before half-time through a Gabriel Martinelli strike that defender Christian Romero cleared off the goal line.

Despite being without key players like Vinicius Jr and Neymar because of injuries and losing their captain Marquinhos to a leg issue halfway through the game, Brazil kept up the pressure after the break.

Missed sitter

They wasted a golden opportunity to score in the 47th minute when Martinelli missed an absolute sitter, striking a close-range shot straight at the goalkeeper.

Argentina held on and made the most of one of the few chances they created in the 63rd minute when defender Otamendi rose high to power home a Giovani Lo Celso corner.

It was Argentina’s only shot on target, though. Messi left the pitch in the 78th minute amid a mixture of jeers and applause from Brazil fans.

The Argentine star wasn’t able to end one of his last barriers in the sport at the Maracana, though, to score against the Brazilians in a World Cup qualifier.

Teenager Endrick, one of Brazil’s big hopes up front, didn’t make much difference after he went on in the 72nd.

In the 81st, midfielder Joelinton, who had just stepped in as a substitute for Brazil, was sent off after pushing Rodrigo de Paul. Brazil fans ended the match chanting “ole” for every touch of the Argentinians, while the visiting supporters waved their shirts as some of their players celebrated on the pitch.

Scaloni hints he may quit

Argentina's World Cup-winning manager Lionel Scaloni made the stunning admission that he was contemplating walking away from his position after his team achieved the rare feat of beating Brazil in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday.

"Argentina needs a coach who has all the energy possible and who is well ... I need to stop the ball and start thinking, I have a lot of things to think about during this time," Scaloni said in his opening remarks during his press conference at the Maracana Stadium.

"These players have given a lot to the coaching staff and I need to think a lot about what I'm going to do.

"It's not goodbye or anything, but I need to think because the bar is very high and it's complicated to keep going and it's complicated to keep winning."

Reuters