Lionel Messi seemed furious and responded by leading his players back down the tunnelLionel Messi led his Argentina players off the pitch after a brawl erupted before kick-off in their World Cup qualifier against Brazil at the Maracana Stadium. Nicolas Otamendi scored the only goal of the game to hand Argentina victory over their traditional rivals in a bad-tempered match that was delayed by over 30 minutes due to violence in the stands. Tensions boiled over during the pre-match national anthems as Brazilian police charged a section of Argentina fans in response to fighting in the stands. Some fans responded by ripping out seats and throwing them at officers, while others panicked and went onto the pitch to avoid the chaos unfolding around them. The game eventually started 30 minutes behind schedule after the fighting had died down, with Argentina snatching a narrow win thanks to Otamendi's second-half header.

Source: Express November 22, 2023 07:52 UTC