Brazil captain Marquinhos defended coach Dorival Junior, insisting everyone was responsible for the 4-1 hammering by Argentina, but admitted “it can’t happen again”.
The Selecao were torn apart in Buenos Aires as the home side celebrated qualifying for next summer’s World Cup finals before a ball was kicked with a wonderful performance.
Bolivia’s failure to beat Uruguay hours earlier meant Lionel Scaloni’s men were through and there was a carnival atmosphere at El Monumental.
7/48 🇨🇦🇲🇽🇺🇸🇯🇵🇳🇿🇮🇷🇦🇷
These teams have qualified for #FIFAWorldCup 26. 👇
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) March 25, 2025
📰 Table Of Contents
Brazil 2-0 down inside 12 minutes
Brazil were on the back foot from the outset and Julian Alvarez’s early goal was added to after 12 minutes when Enzo Fernandez tapped home Nahuel Molina’s cross.
A mistake from Cristian Romero enabled Matheus Cunha to pull one back but the home side swiftly restored their two-goal advantage as Alexis Mac Allister slotted past Bento.
And a perfect night for Argentina was capped when Giuliano Simeone added a fourth with 19 minutes to go.
“For the players it is hard to talk,” Marquinhos told Grupo Globo. “It’s a defeat that hurts a lot.
“We started the game very badly, well below our levels. They played in a very intelligent way and we didn’t know what we had to do.
“That is not just the fault of the coach but also the players. It’s shared blame but what happened here today can’t happen again.
“We know the fans will be angry about this defeat and we ask them to have peace of mind. We are going to get our heads up and keep working. We will try to get out of this difficult situation.
“They [Argentina] have been in a difficult situation and got out of it.”
🏆 #Eliminatorias Ah, nos olvidamos de subir este…
Ahora sí, buenas noches 💤 pic.twitter.com/Fj1QmgK1CA
— 🇦🇷 Selección Argentina ⭐⭐⭐ (@Argentina) March 26, 2025
It can’t all be on Dorival Junior – Marquinhos
Brazil are fourth in the CONMEBOL qualifying section but have won just one of their last four games with the pressure firmly on the shoulders of Dorival Junior.
Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos added: “I think it’s difficult to just keep on talking about the coach. We saw on the field that we can all do much better.
“As a squad we have to improve a lot. I think it’s understanding the moment, understanding you have to have humility, to know that we are not at our best level.
“It’s every individual’s own responsibility to know they can do better. Then we can get out of this situation together.”
Despite the defeat, Brazil are almost certain to qualify for the World Cup next summer in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
