Brazil humiliated 4 1 by bitter rivals Argentina

BUENOS AIRES – Argentina celebrated their 2026 World Cup qualification with a dazzling 4-1 thrashing of archrivals Brazil in Buenos Aires on March 25.

Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister and Giuliano Simeone sealed an emphatic win for the world champions, who had been assured of their World Cup berth after Bolivia’s 0-0 draw with Uruguay earlier in the day.

That goal-less stalemate ensured a festive atmosphere at the Estadio Monumental before a ball had been kicked and Argentina kept the party going with a blistering performance.

“It’s a team victory, because we played as a team, and that’s why we minimised Brazil,” said coach Lionel Scaloni.

“It’s the only way to beat these players, playing as a team. I think we played great games, and the important thing is knowing how to interpret each match.

“There will be games where we struggle and others where we don’t. We have to show that we’re capable of playing in different circumstances.”

Atletico Madrid forward Alvarez opened the scoring after just four minutes, latching onto Thiago Almada’s through ball and dinking a close-range finish past Brazil goalkeeper Bento.

It got better for Argentina eight minutes later, when Chelsea’s Fernandez tucked away the hosts’ second goal after Brazil’s back four failed to deal with a low cross.

With Brazil being run ragged by a rampant Argentina, they were thrown a lifeline on 26 minutes after a blunder by Cristian Romero gifted a goal to Matheus Cunha.

But any hopes of a fightback were snuffed out in the 37th minute with a superb goal from Liverpool’s Mac Allister. Almada was once again the creator, lofting a pass into the area, which Mac Allister met with a volley to make it 3-1.

With Argentina in complete control, Simeone then brought the house down with