Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni attempted to de-escalate the tension surrounding tonight’s crunch World Cup qualifier with Brazil by insisting it’s “just a football match”.
It is always an intense occasion when the two South American rivals meet but the fires were stoked further yesterday when Brazil midfielder Raphinha gave an explosive interview that made clear his disdain for Scaloni’s side.
Speaking to former Brazil striker Romario, Raphinha said: “We will beat them, no doubt.
“On and off the pitch, if we have to.”
He added: “F*** them.”
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Raphinha will feel wrath of Buenos Aires crowd
Raphinha’s words have understandably not gone down well in Buenos Aires and the Barcelona star will be guaranteed a hostile reception at El Monumental tonight.
But Scaloni was quick to reflect on previous gestures of friendship between the sets of players, particularly the image of Lionel Messi and Neymar sitting together after the 2021 Copa America final.
Ney se tomó un segundo para sonreír en el Maracaná: por Leo Messi, su cómplice de tantos títulos en el Barcelona. Hermosa imagen futbolera. pic.twitter.com/Pf3VNNbC9d
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) July 11, 2021
He said: “It’s an Argentina-Brazil match, it’s always an important game, but it’s still just a soccer match. I remember the image after the 2021 Copa America final of Leo sitting with Neymar on the steps of the Maracana, and that is the image that should stay with all of us.
“That says it all: the best player in the world, and possibly the second-best player in the world, together and being friends. That’s the image we should hold on to. After that, it’s a soccer match, 90 minutes where each one wants to win. It doesn’t need to go beyond that, and it won’t go beyond that.”
Argentina will not show off World Cup trophy – Scaloni
There had been suggestions Argentina would attempt to show Brazil their superiority by displaying the World Cup trophy they won in Qatar before kick-off.
But Scaloni rubbished that idea, despite reports that claimed it was being considered by the Argentinian Football Association.
He said: “There is no possibility of that happening tomorrow, they should have told us. No, absolutely not.”
No Messi, no worries
Argentina will qualify for next summer’s World Cup finals if they avoid defeat, although they may advance prior to the game against Brazil if Bolivia fail to beat Uruguay in a fixture that kicks off four hours earlier.
The world champions go into tonight’s game as favourites despite the absence of Messi due to an adductor strain.
“It’s a great match to show that the team is still going strong, and the idea is to put in a good performance against a great opponent,” said Scaloni.
“We have to find a way to play without Messi. We try to develop a system so that his absence is felt as little as possible.”
