Hasta El Gol Siempre

Brazil and Argentina convened for their first meeting of the qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa on Wednesday night, with Argentina aware that a win would take them back to joint top of the table alongside Paraguay, after the Guaraní fell to a shock 4-2 defeat to Bolivia in La Paz hours earlier. Both sides were short on confidence, and in the first half especially, it showed. After the break, Argentina attacked with more urgency, led by their two feuding standard-bearers, Lionel Messi and Juan Román Riquelme. In the end, though, there was no way through the Brazilian backline.

The first half was distinguished only by the failure of Colombian referee Oscar Julián Ruíz to award the hosts a penalty midway through the opening period, after Gabriel Heinze piled into an opposing forward but escaped censure. Argentina lacked imagination in their passing, too often looking long to Julio Cruz as Juan Román Riquelme and Lionel Messi, following strong rumours of a rift between them in the run-up to the match, failed to click.

Argentina looked like a side short on confidence and Brazil, although they had by far the better of the chances, didn’t seem entirely committed to the idea of breaking their opponents down, preferring to prey on defensive lapses and their own direct passing. Riquelme came in for one or two rough challenges from the opposing defenders and midfield, but by and large it was a dull first half rather than a particularly scrappy or niggly one. At half time, 0-0 seemed a perfect way of summing the match up, not withstanding that Robinho had let a good chance go begging to give his side the lead, just failing to capitalise on a mistake from Roberto Abbondanzieri, who saved well.

In the second half, Argentina began to come alive. Messi was given greater freedom to roam, and Riquelme pushed further up the pitch and offered more support from the midfield. Minutes in, Messi got free down the right, skinned left-back Gilberto for pace and got almost to the byline before being brought down by him for a free kick. Eleven minutes after the restart, Riquelme got the ball and flicked it over the Brazilian defence for Cruz, who controlled well but blasted a shot narrowly over the crossbar from ten yards out. Juan, already booked, was fortunate to escape a second yellow after taking Messi out as the Barcelona youngster raced towards the Brazil box.

Two attacks – one at each end – around the 70th minute showed how the match improved from first half to second. First, Lionel Messi picked up the ball in the midfield and ran at Brazil’s defence for the umpteenth time in the half, laying the ball back for Riquelme just before entering the box, but the Boca man’s shot was in the end comfortably gathered by Júlio César. Minutes afterwards, Sevilla striker Luis Fabiano, who’d just come on for Adriano, hit a flying volley which scuffed the ground but which, all the same, Roberto Abbondanzieri had to get down well to hold. With both sides trading free kicks and attacks, the match was heating up.

In the 83rd minute, Argentina appeared to accept that a point wasn’t a bad result to take home, when Riquelme was withdrawn for his Boca clubmate Sebastián Battaglia. Just a minute earlier, Riquelme had combined with Messi and Javier Zanetti for Leo to cut the ball back for Sergio Agüero. It was almost a phenomenal goal, but the Atlético man couldn’t keep his shot down. Brazil, throughout, were continuing to get the ball up the pitch frequently, but their attacks invariably ended up in the hands of Abbondanzieri before any really dangerous situations looked like developing.

Following Riquelme’s withdrawal, it was Messi who acted as the enganche for the remainder of the match, and whilst no goals followed, he hardly did his cause for the future any harm as Argentina continued their vastly improved second half showing. A minute into stoppage time, he might have won it, beating a man and sending in a vicious shot which was punched straight back into his path by Júlio César; Messi blasted the rebound just wide, before being replaced by Rodrigo Palacio. It was the final action of the match.

Brazil were the better of two very poor sides in the first half; Argentina far superior in the second without managing to find the finishing touch in the opposing box. Plenty to dwell on for Alfio Basile, but for now his team remain second in the qualification table, and the ‘Messi or Riquelme?’ question can be laid to rest for another couple of months…