Argentina advances to World Cup finals, Scaloni urges people to cherish special moments

Argentina beat Brazil 4-1 in the 14th round of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup with goals from Alvarez, Enzo, McAllister and Giuliano Simeone. Scaloni said he hopes the players and fans can cherish participating in this tournament and enjoy such a special moment.

Just 4 minutes into the game, Alvarez managed to win the ball back after a defensive effort and scored a goal, helping Argentina take the lead 1-0. In the 12th minute, Molina's pass was cleared by the opponent, and Enzo scored a volley after getting the ball, helping Argentina continue to lead Brazil 2-0.

In the 26th minute, Cunha scored with a low shot after stealing the ball, helping Brazil to equalize the score 1-2. In the 37th minute, Enzo assisted McAllister to score, expanding Argentina's lead to 3-1. In the 71st minute of the second half, Tagliafico passed the ball to the front of the goal, and Giuliano Simeone pushed the ball into the goal despite the defense, helping Argentina to further expand its lead to 4-1.

In the end, Argentina defeated Brazil 4-1 at home and advanced to the World Cup finals ahead of schedule.

Argentina coach Scaloni said in an interview, "This is a team victory, because we played as a whole, so we can suppress Brazil to the maximum extent. This is the only way to beat them. We played a wonderful game. The key is to know how to deal with different situations. We will encounter difficulties in some games and not in others. We must prove that we can adapt to different game environments."

"It's not easy to suppress a technically skilled team and I think the early goal opened up the game for them and forced them to change their tactics. We were able to use the space better, especially since these players were adapting quickly to the tempo of the game."

Scaloni also said, "There are still many things to be done and many changes may happen in the future. We will deal with it one game at a time and cherish the moment we can stand here."

"I hope the fans can enjoy these moments. We can't predict how long this situation will last, but one day it will change. Hopefully it will last for a long time, but in the meantime let's enjoy the performance of these players and we will keep working hard."

In addition, Brazilian striker Rafinha's remarks before the game caused a topic, but Scaloni said, "I have already forgiven Rafinha because I know he didn't mean it. He was defending his country. I fully believe that he didn't mean to hurt anyone."

"The intensity of a game does not need to be driven by such remarks. We did not play like this because of such remarks."

In addition, Argentine midfielder De Paul said in an interview, "We have never disrespected anyone before the game, but we have been looked down upon many times over the years."

"No one helped us, everything we achieved was earned by ourselves and we are still proving it. We have been the best national team for the past five years, so hopefully they respect us."