Brazil suffered a humiliating 4-1 defeat to bitter rivals Argentina in the South American World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday, increasing pressure on manager Dorival Jr. Despite a narrow 2-1 victory over Colombia last week, Brazil were thoroughly outclassed by the reigning world champions and were fortunate not to lose by a larger margin.
Argentina wasted no time asserting their dominance, with Julián Álvarez opening the scoring just four minutes into the match with a close-range strike. Even without star forwards Lionel Messi and Lautaro Martínez, Argentina outshone Brazil in every department and quickly doubled their lead. Enzo Fernández made it 2-0 in the 12th minute with a precise finish from inside the box.
Brazil briefly showed signs of life when a defensive error by Argentina’s Cristian Romero allowed Matheus Cunha to pull a goal back in the 26th minute. However, Argentina restored their two-goal cushion in the 37th minute when Alexis Mac Allister converted a cross from Fernández.
The world champions continued to dominate the second half, creating numerous chances before substitute Giuliano Simeone sealed the emphatic win with a close-range strike in the 71st minute.
Argentina’s victory came on the same day that a goalless draw between Uruguay and Bolivia confirmed their qualification for the 2026 World Cup. With 31 points from 14 matches, Argentina comfortably lead the South American standings, sitting 17 points ahead of seventh-placed Bolivia, who occupy the international playoff position.
Meanwhile, Brazil’s defeat leaves them in fourth place with 21 points, adding further uncertainty to their World Cup qualification campaign and increasing the scrutiny on manager Dorival Jr.
