Julian Alvarez revelled in Argentina giving Brazil “a lesson” after the world champions brushed aside their South American rivals 4-1 in Buenos Aires.
Alvarez opened the scoring for the home side after four minutes and they were 3-1 up at the break after further goals from Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister either side of a Matheus Cunha effort.
Giuliano Simeone added a fourth for Argentina, who learned of their qualification for the World Cup finals next summer before kick off after Bolivia’s failure to beat Uruguay.
Rodrigo De Paul 👉👈 Julian Alvarez#FIFAWorldCup | #FIFACWC pic.twitter.com/3i9UohWCdG
— FIFA Club World Cup (@FIFACWC) March 26, 2025
📰 Table Of Contents
Raphinha’s words come back to haunt him
It was a hugely satisfying night for Lionel Scaloni’s men, who did their talking on the pitch after Brazil forward Raphinha’s inflammatory remarks in the build-up in which he suggested the Selecao would “beat them on and off the pitch”.
Scaloni was quick to play down the significance of Raphinha’s words, but Alvarez admitted it did give him and his team-mates added motivation.
The Atletico Madrid forward said: “Yes [it did], but beyond that, it’s a classic, and we would have played it the same way.
“That added an extra spice to the match, which I think was unnecessary, but we did a great job, and with humility. We gave them a lesson.”
Paredes answers back
Leandro Paredes had an on-field spat with Brazil forward Rodrygo with the pair trading verbal barbs. The Roma man was quick to point out how many trophies he had won over the past few years, mouthing “I have one World Cup and two Copa Americas, you have zero”.
Rodrygo: "You are very bad."
Paredes: "I have 1 World Cup and 2 Copa America's, you have zero." 🥶🥶
— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) March 26, 2025
And he admitted afterwards it was no surprise that Brazil tried to disrupt Argentina’s flow.
“We’re used to opponents always speaking on the field,” said Paredes. “It happened to us in the World Cup, it happened in the qualifiers, and it happened again today.
“We keep doing the same thing, we keep doing our part, and today we showed that again. There’s no need to talk beforehand, no need to say those kinds of things, especially when you can’t back it up on the field.”
The last time Argentina stepped onto the pitch at the #FIFAWorldCup… 🏆
🇦🇷 Argentina will defend the trophy at #WeAre26!
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) March 25, 2025
Respect us, demands De Paul
Alvarez’s Atleti team-mate Rodrigo De Paul suggested Argentina’s quiet approach had helped them to claim the last two Copa America titles either side of their World Cup success in Qatar in 2022.
He said: ”On the field, we did what we had to do. We’ve never disrespected anyone, but in all these years, we’ve been disrespected quite a bit. No one helped us; we achieved everything on our own, and we continue to prove it. It’s been five or six years that we’ve been the best team, so respect us.”
