Argentina returns to Maracana Stadium, where many believe pursuit of latest World Cup title began

Many Argentinians believe that the pursuit of their nation’s latest World Cup title began for actual greater than two years in the past at Maracana Stadium.

That’s where Ángel di Maria and Lionel Messi helped finish the staff’s 28-year trophyless streak with a 1-0 win towards Brazil within the Copa América last.

On Tuesday, some will return to the historic area in a way more optimistic temper than for that recreation in 2021 towards archrival Brazil.

About 200 Argentina followers gathered Monday night outdoors the staff’s lodge in Rio de Janeiro forward of its South American World Cup qualifying match towards Brazil.

The visiting supporters, some of taking holidays within the metropolis, introduced drums, Messi and Diego Maradona flags, and horns. Many of them sang out that “the favelas are still crying” since Brazil misplaced the Copa América to Argentina.

Several, like 27-year-old Ariel Garcia, wore outdated type jerseys with two as an alternative of three stars representing the staff’s World Cup titles over its crest. A Brazil resident, he didn’t attend that Copa América last when it was performed in a virtually empty stadium due to COVID-19 restrictions. The uncommon likelihood to watch his staff reside pushed him to shortly get one of the 69,000 tickets to be on the Maracana on Tuesday.

“That Copa América final gave us the belief we could win the World Cup. If Argentina had lost that final to Brazil, only God knows whether Messi would still play in Qatar,” Garcia mentioned. “The Maracana was once the place where we lost the 2014 World Cup to Germany, but that Copa América title made it the place where we won the latest World Cup.”

Led by then-President Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil turned a last-minute host of the 2021 Copa América after co-hosts Colombia and Argentina gave up because the virus unfold. Media experiences recommended the match confronted the danger of cancellation till every week earlier than kickoff. Players of the sudden host nation mentioned with then-coach Tite about not enjoying. But they did, and misplaced the ultimate to Argentina.

“There’s a special spice, and we don’t need to remember these old moments,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni mentioned earlier than the staff’s journey to Rio. “So much has happened since.”

“We always have to think about the present,” added the coach, who gained his first skilled title on the job in that last. “It doesn’t need much for a player to be ready for this. It is a clasico, it is Brazil playing at their home.” Brazil has by no means misplaced a World Cup qualifying match in its territory.”

Both teams will play after defeats in the previous round of qualifying; the locals lost 2-1 at Colombia, and the World Cup champions were defeated at home 2-0 by Uruguay.

Argentina leads the 10-team South American qualifying group with 12 points through five matches. Uruguay is second with 10 points. Colombia has nine and Venezuela eight. Brazil will host the World Cup champions in fifth position, with seven points.

Ecuador, Paraguay and Chile have five points each. Bolivia has three and Peru one.

The 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada will include 48 teams, meaning direct entry for the top six teams from South America. The seventh-place team can earn a berth in an intercontinental playoff.

Three key Argentina players in the World Cup title winning campaign did not have a role in that Copa América final decided by a goal by Di Maria; midfielders Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernández, and striker Julián Álvarez watched all of it on TV. The latter got here to Brazil, however was not on the bench.

Argentina’s soccer association president, Chiqui Tapia, also said he was keen to return to Rio.

“We will see one another on the Maracana, where all of it began!,” Tapia said on social media.

Argentina players arrived at the hotel around 10 p.m. Scaloni chose not to hold any training sessions in Rio’s rainy Monday and head straight to the Maracana on Tuesday.

Garcia said it will also be his first time at the stadium since the 2014 World Cup final, in which Argentina lost 1-0 to Germany.

“I simply did not need to go there once more. But now we’re the world champions and I’ll have a good time with Messi and the muchachos it doesn’t matter what occurs on the recreation,” he said. “The Maracana is now an awesome place for us, too.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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