"Respect us."

Argentina defeated Brazil 4-1 in the 14th home match of the World Cup South American qualifiers, held on the 26th (Korea time) at Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.

With this victory, Argentina recorded 10 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses (31 points), maintaining the lead in the South American qualifiers. They have confirmed direct qualification for the finals, securing at least 6th place, even if they lose all of their remaining 4 matches.

In the South American qualifiers, the top 6 countries qualify directly for the World Cup finals, while the 7th place competes in the intercontinental playoffs.

Since the 1974 West Germany World Cup, Argentina has participated in the finals for the 14th consecutive time in this tournament, marking their 19th overall qualification. They were the first among South American countries to confirm their place in the finals and are the fourth globally, after Japan, New Zealand, and Iran, to secure a spot for the 2026 World Cup.

The match was played without Lionel Messi and Lautaro Martínez (both Argentina), but Argentina took the lead with Julián Álvarez's (Atlético Madrid) opening goal in the 4th minute and Nahuel Molina's (Atlético Madrid) additional goal in the 12th minute. They conceded one goal to Matheus Cunha (Wolverhampton) in the 26th minute, but extended their lead again with Alexis Mac Allister's (Liverpool) goal in the 37th minute.

In the 26th minute of the second half, a decisive goal from Giuliano Simeone (Atlético Madrid) led Argentina to a 4-1 victory.

Coach Scaloni expressed pride, saying, "We were able to contain Brazil's power. Playing as a team was the only way to win."

In contrast, Brazil faced a shocking defeat and found themselves in an unstable position in the qualifying race.

Brazil, with 6 wins, 3 draws, and 5 losses (21 points), is in 4th place in the South American qualifiers, but the point difference with 7th place Venezuela (15 points) is only 6 points. In their last 5 matches, they have only managed 2 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss.

Brazil's Dorival Júnior said, "It is a difficult situation right now, but we will certainly find a breakthrough."

In the wake of the decline of the samba squad, there are renewed calls within Brazilian football for Neymar's return, who was unable to participate in this national team due to injury.

Felipe Melo, who previously played for the Brazilian national team, remarked, "Argentina played well. However, there was a significant difference between the two teams," adding, "The Brazilian national team was at their worst. It seems they are not focused on the game at all."

After Neymar became injury-prone, there were opinions suggesting he was no longer needed on the Brazilian national team after he missed out on injury again. Felipe emphasized, "Honestly, look at the state of the national team. There is simply no player coming close to Neymar," noting, "Even if you say he is a Neymar on one leg, he is still the best 10 (ace) among the current national team."

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