O Jogo Bonito, this phrase defines what football means to the people of Brazil. The phrase basically means ' the beautiful game' and the language is Portuguese. Once colonised by the Portuguese and the Spanish, Brazil and Argentina were the pioneers of 'the beautiful game' of football. It all started in 1914 when the neighbouring countries met for the first time to play against each other. After that, their rivalry gradually grew stronger day by day and they became the fiercest rivals in international football.
The history of this rivalry in football dates back to the time Pele used to play for Brazil. The flair, passion, fearlessness, creativity and the hunger to win of the Brazilian team in the past have delighted football fans all over the world. But with the advent of European football which is more tactical in nature, 'the beautiful game' has become only nostalgia for the fans. The legacy that Brazilian or Argentine football have does not define what they have played in the recent past.
Both the countries have gifted the football world with players like Pele, Maradona, Garrincha, Zico, Socrates, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Di Stefano, Mario Kempes, Caniggia and many more in the past and Lionel Messi, Neymar, etc. who are currently playing football.
The Selecao and the La Albiceleste are going to face each other in the semi-finals of the Copa America 2019 on July 2. Football fans all over the world are going to be treated with the greatest international rivalry of all time. The fans will be hoping to see them play with heart, passion and love for the game, not for the sake of playing alone. On the eve of the match, lets celebrate by revisiting some of the greatest matches they played against each other giving joy to the people of the world.
Brazil 3-1 Argentina,1982, Spain
The 1982 Brazil World Cup was the time when Diego Maradona was in prime form and was then the world's most expensive player. But the Brazilian team were counted as the contender to win the tournament. Defending champions Argentina were pretty much confident about winning the game but Brazil outclassed them with Samba magic with goals from Zico, Serginho and Junior they won the game.
The highlight of the match was the sending off of Diego Maradona who kicked Joao Batista late in the game due to frustration as the Selecao defenders were not letting him move.
Argentina 1-0 Brazil, 1990, Italy
In this match of 1990 World Cup, defending champions Argentina surprised Brazil who were the dominant team throughout the match by defeating them 1-0 with a goal from Caniggia. Maradona was silent throughout the match, or rather, he was kept silent by the Brazilian defenders but in the 81st minute, he created a goal for Caniggia who found the back of the net.
The match also had a controversy as Brazilian defender Branco complained that Argentine training staff had given him a bottle of water mixed with tranquillisers.
Brazil 2-2 Argentina, Brazil won 4-2 on penalties, 2004, Peru
On this occasion in the Copa America Argentina were the firm favourites and were leading 2-1 in the match but in the last minute of injury time, Adriano scored the equaliser. Brazil finally won the match in the penalties as Julio Cesar saved two of the shots.
Argentina 4-3 Brazil, 2012, USA
This game was marked as one of the most memorable matches for Argentina and Lionel Messi. The little magician scored a hattrick in this contest. The game was tied and in the dying minutes of the match, Messi scored the winning goal. He picked up the ball from halfway line and dribbled past Brazilian defenders to slot a curling shot past the goalkeeper to win it for Argentina.
