Brazil will beat Argentina up in World Cup qualifier, says Raphinha
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Brazil's Raphinha in action against Colombia's Davinson Sanchez on March 20. Brazil won 2-1.
PHOTO: AFP
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RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazil forward Raphinha has spiced up their highly anticipated World Cup qualifying clash away to Argentina on March 25 (March 26, Singapore time), by guaranteeing he will score and suggesting the match between the bitter rivals will become more physical than it should be.
“We’ll beat them up... Absolutely! Beat them up! On the pitch and off the pitch if we have to,” the Barcelona star said in an interview on Romario TV with the great.
“For sure, I’m going to (score a goal against Argentina). I’m going in with everything I’ve got...”
Brazil have not beaten the Argentinians in six years, a run that extends to 16 years for matches held in Argentina, who lead the South American qualifying table with 28 points, six ahead of second-placed Ecuador and seven clear of Brazil in third.
Argentina had tightened their grip on top spot after a 1-0 win over Uruguay on March 21, while a late 2-1 victory over Colombia
Coach Dorival has also urged his charges to “go out there to win, to play our best football and beat them at their ground”.
While Raphinha’s comments caused an uproar in Argentina, with local media calling his “harsh words” a threat, the world champions’ coach Lionel Scaloni played down the rivalry with Brazil and decided not to add more fuel to the fire.
“Warriors on the pitch, good friends off of it,” he told a press conference later on March 24. “I didn’t go much deeper into players’ statements but I’m aware of it.
“Argentina versus Brazil is an important match but it is still a football match. It doesn’t have to go beyond that.
“I remember the image of Leo (Messi) with Neymar after the Copa America final on the steps of the Maracana, that’s the image we have to keep. The best in the world and probably the second best together, being friends. That’s the image we need.
“It’s a football match that we both want to win. We all have a Brazilian friend, I know a lot of them, it shouldn’t go beyond that. We don’t have to give it much more thought.”
The outing at El Monumental in Buenos Aires will be Raphinha’s first game in Argentina since 2021, when he was elbowed in the mouth by defender Nicolas Otamendi and required five stitches.
The last time Brazil won in Argentina was in 2009, a 3-1 victory in Santa Fe. Since their 2-0 win in the Copa America semi-finals in 2019, Brazil have lost three of their last four games against their bitter rivals, all 1-0.
Dorival, who took the reins in early 2024, has failed to earn the trust of Brazil's demanding fans after winning seven of 15 games in charge.
The team had spent a year under two caretaker coaches, as the Brazilian football federation tried and failed to lure Italian Carlo Ancelotti from Real Madrid.
On the pressure from the fans, Dorival said: "We live in a country that loves to criticise, it’s a shame but that’s what I think. That we love to criticise and rarely get the respect when it deserves. But time puts everyone in their place.
"I understand how football works and I embrace the challenge of being under pressure. I believe in hard work, dedication, respect and seriousness in what we do.
“I’ve been in charge of the national team for 15 games. You can put me accountable for my work in due time.”
If seventh-placed Bolivia fail to beat fourth-placed Uruguay in the earlier match, Argentina will be guaranteed a place at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada with four games left. Otherwise, they can clinch a spot with a draw against Brazil.
The top six qualify directly for the tournament. REUTERS, AFP
