Lionel Messi heaped praise on Argentina following their win over Brazil last night and said the world champions always do their “talking through football”.
Messi was absent with an adductor injury but Lionel Scaloni’s men shone in his absence, beating Brazil 4-1 in Buenos Aires.
Prior to kick-off they learned they had qualified for the World Cup finals next summer in the United States, Canada and Mexico after Bolivia failed to beat Uruguay.
And it turned out to be a night of celebration for Argentina, who were eager to respond positively to inflammatory remarks from Brazil playmaker Raphinha, who said before the game his side “would beat them, no doubt. On and off the pitch if we have to”.
On Instagram, Messi responded: “On or off the field, wherever it may be with this National Team. Always talking through football.
“Congratulations on the great match you played last night and also on the win against Uruguay.”
Alvarez and Paredes get stuck into Raphinha
Raphinha’s words clearly irked Argentina, whose players were quick to respond after the game.
Striker Julian Alvarez said the x-rated outburst gave him and his team-mates added motivation.
The Atletico Madrid man said: “Yes [it did], but beyond that, it’s a classic, and we would have played it the same way.
“That added an extra spice to the match, which I think was unnecessary, but we did a great job, and with humility. We gave them a lesson.”
Roma midfielder Leandro Paredes added: “We’re used to opponents always speaking on the field. It happened to us in the World Cup, it happened in the qualifiers, and it happened again today.
“We keep doing the same thing, we keep doing our part, and today we showed that again. There’s no need to talk beforehand, no need to say those kinds of things, especially when you can’t back it up on the field.”
Scaloni ‘pardons’ Raphinha
The one man who was willing to stick up for Barcelona star Raphinha was Scaloni, who said: “In the [pre-match] press conference, I mentioned that I had not engaged with the comments and haven’t revisited them since. I understand the stakes of an Argentina-Brazil match, but we don’t need any remarks to elevate the intensity. Our performance was not influenced by those comments at all; in fact, it was quite the opposite.
“I pardon Raphinha because I know it wasn’t intentional. He is defending his country, and that’s what’s important. Whether or not there are remarks, we would have approached the match in the same way, and I am certain he did not intend to offend anyone.”
Brazil were on the back foot from the outset and Alvarez’s early goal was added to after 12 minutes when Enzo Fernandez tapped home Nahuel Molina’s cross.
A mistake from Cristian Romero enabled Matheus Cunha to pull one back but the home side swiftly restored their two-goal advantage as Alexis Mac Allister slotted past Bento.
And a perfect night for Argentina was capped when Giuliano Simeone added a fourth with 19 minutes to go.
“For the players it is hard to talk,” Brazil captain Marquinhos told Grupo Globo. “It’s a defeat that hurts a lot.
“We started the game very badly, well below our levels. They played in a very intelligent way and we didn’t know what we had to do.
“That is not just the fault of the coach but also the players. It’s shared blame but what happened here today can’t happen again.
“We know the fans will be angry about this defeat and we ask them to have peace of mind. We are going to get our heads up and keep working. We will try to get out of this difficult situation.
“They [Argentina] have been in a difficult situation and got out of it.”
