The World Cup qualifiers have come to an end for this year, but not before a lot of heat. The final fixture took place between two giants, Brazil and Argentina. The game was expected to be as fierce as ever. It has now been reported that the spat between Lionel Messi and Brazilian forward Rodrygo gathered unwanted attention after they started name-calling each other.

Brazil had quite a disappointing start to their qualifiers campaign after winning just two of their six fixtures. Coming to this game, the players and the fans were equally anxious to turn things around. But nothing seems to have gone as they expected.

The bitter spat between Rodrygo and Messi: Competitiveness gone overboard?

After a disappointing delay to the game due to a fight in the stands, the five-time world champions came onto the pitch to prove their reputation. However, the competitive element went too far, with Brazil’s Rodrygo yelling “you cowards” at the Argentines. This happened just after the teams emerged from their dressing rooms. A usually cool and composed Lionel Messi wasn’t quiet this time.

He called out the Brazilian youngster for his harsh comment and also took pride in being the world champions. Without any hesitation, Messi reportedly said, “We are the world champions, why are we cowards? Look at your mouth.”

Lionel Messi was taken off during the 78th minute as he suffered a minor hamstring injury and was replaced by Angel Di Maria. After winning the game, the star did not hesitate to open up about the entire saga. The World Cup winner called out the Brazilian police, saying that the repression of Argentinian fans cannot be accepted. As per reports, Brazilian and Argentinian fans started fighting behind one of the goals during the national anthems. This prompted the police to charge at the Argentinian fans.

The start of the World Cup qualifier between Argentina and Brazil was delayed by half an hour because of this.

The match saw many other spats and combats between players. The substitute, Joelinton, was penalized with a red card after hitting Rodrigo de Paul in the 81st minute. In the end, the single goal scored by Nicolas Otamendi was enough for the Albiceleste to snatch the three points.

Lionel Scaloni lauds Messi but raises question marks over his own future

After the game, coach Lionel Scaloni heaped praise on Lionel Messi, saying that he is the only player who can lend such support to the team. The soccer veteran seemed to be having issues with his hamstring and discomfort before the game but continued playing till the 78th minute.

READ MORE –“Tragedy Could Have Happened” – Lionel Messi Opens Up on Police Beating Argentina Fans With Sticks That Led to Delay in Game vs Brazil

The coach also spoke about not being able to match the energy of the team. In a surprising statement, Scaloni said that the team needs a coach with more energy. He did specify that it wasn’t a goodbye. However, the World Cup-winning coach pointed out that he needs to think about how to maintain this kind of standard from the team.

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