Argentina and Brazil drew 0-0 in a tense and fast-paced match on Tuesday, maintaining both teams' unbeaten records in the South American qualifiers for the World Cup. Brazil is the only country that has secured its spot in next year's finals, while Argentina, in second place with a six-point lead, is highly likely to join them. The top four teams qualify directly for the World Cup, while the fifth-place team will play a playoff against a team from another continent.
Neither team was able to impose its style in the entertaining match, with the best chance coming from Fred's shot in the second half, which hit the crossbar. With the draw in San Juan, Argentina preserved its unbeaten streak for 27 matches, an ongoing run lasting over two years. In their last encounter, the match was interrupted just five minutes in when officials entered the field to remove Argentine players accused of violating COVID-19 quarantine rules.
Brazil, alongside Vinicius Junior and Raphinha upfront, started striker Matheus Cunha instead of Neymar, who did not travel to Argentina due to a thigh injury. Vinicius Junior found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez in the 17th minute, but his shot went wide, and Cunha tried to chip the ball over the goalkeeper from a distance moments later, missing the target.
On the other side, Brazil's goalkeeper Alisson saved a shot from Rodrigo De Paul before halftime. The match became more open in the second half, with Fred and Vinicius Junior coming close to scoring for Brazil. However, with the game undecided until the last minutes, Lionel Messi was bound to make an appearance before the final whistle.
Messi returned to full fitness to feature in the starting lineup for the first time since October, but the Paris Saint-Germain player had a quiet performance until the dying seconds when he unleashed a 20-meter shot saved by Alisson. Messi said, "I did everything I could. It was a very strong match... It's been a long time since I was out (injured), and it's not easy to play in a match that requires this kind of speed. We knew it would be this way; it was a tough match, and it was difficult to perform."
