Brazilian captain Marquinhos has issued an apology to fans following what he described as an “embarrassing” performance in their 4-1 World Cup qualifying defeat against Argentina in Buenos Aires.
Argentina dominated the match, with Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister, and Giuliano Simeone all finding the net. The victory confirmed Argentina’s place in the World Cup before kick-off, thanks to Bolivia’s draw with Uruguay.
Brazil, the five-time world champions, managed to score through Matheus Cunha, but the loss marked their worst defeat in World Cup qualifying history. Their qualification for next year’s finals remains uncertain.
Speaking to Brazilian TV station Globo, Marquinhos expressed his disappointment. “What we did here can’t happen again,” he admitted. “It’s hard to talk about it in the heat of the moment. It’s embarrassing.”
The Brazilian captain further elaborated on his team’s poor performance. “We started the game badly, far below what we could do and they’re on a great run of confidence. They knew how to play smart. I’m sorry for our fans,” he added.
Argentina, despite missing their talisman Lionel Messi, took an early 2-0 lead within the first 12 minutes, courtesy of goals from Alvarez and Fernandez.
Brazil found a brief lifeline after a mistake from Cristian Romero allowed Cunha to pull one back. However, Mac Allister restored Argentina’s two-goal cushion before halftime.
The reigning world champions had multiple opportunities to extend their lead but only capitalized in the 71st minute when Giuliano Simeone sealed the victory, igniting wild celebrations among the home crowd.
Atletico Madrid forward Alcaraz described the match as historic. “It was a historic result, winning by 4-1, and that makes us really proud, I’m so happy for the fans,” he said.
Argentina currently leads the South American qualification standings with 31 points from 14 matches, sitting 16 points ahead of seventh-placed Venezuela. The top six teams automatically qualify for next year’s tournament.
Brazil, on the other hand, finds themselves in a precarious position. They are fourth with 21 points and still have work to do to secure their qualification, with four matches left to play.
In another fixture, Paraguay maintained their fifth-place spot, just one point ahead of sixth-placed Colombia, after the two sides played out a 2-2 draw in Barranquilla.
Colombia took an early 2-0 lead within 13 minutes, courtesy of goals from Luis Diaz and Jhon Duran. However, Paraguay fought back, with Junior Alonso scoring before halftime and Julio Enciso securing the equalizer in the second half.
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