The reigning World Cup champions book their place in the 2026 edition, thrashing Brazil 4-1. Argentina are celebrating their 2026 World Cup qualification with a dazzling 4-1 thrashing of archrivals Brazil in Buenos Aires. Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister and Giuliano Simeone sealed an emphatic win on Tuesday for the world champions, who had been assured of their World Cup berth after Bolivia’s 0-0 draw with Uruguay earlier in the day. That goalless stalemate ensured a festive atmosphere at the Estadio Monumental before a ball had been kicked, and Argentina kept the party going with a blistering performance. Brazil, meanwhile, were left issuing apologies via coach Dorival Junior and captain Marquinhos as their hopes of reaching next year’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico were left in the balance. “What we did here today can’t happen again,” the latter told Brazilian TV Globo. “It’s hard to talk about it in the heat of the moment. … It’s embarrassing. “We started the game very badly, far below what we could do, and they’re on a great run of confidence. They knew how to play smart. … I’m sorry for our fans.” Atletico Madrid forward Alvarez opened the scoring after just six minutes, latching onto Thiago Almada’s through ball and dinking a close-range finish past Brazil goalkeeper Bento. It got better for Argentina six minutes later when Chelsea’s Fernandez tucked away the hosts’ second goal of the night after Brazil’s back four failed to deal with a low cross. With Brazil being run ragged by a rampant Argentina, they were thrown a lifeline at 26 minutes after a blunder by Cristian Romero gifted a goal to Matheus Cunha. Tottenham defender Romero was caught in possession 23 metres (25 yards) from goal, allowing Cunha to steal in and drive a low shot past Emiliano Martinez to make it 2-1. But any hopes of a Brazilian fightback were snuffed out in the 37th minute with a superb goal from Mac Allister. Almada was once again the creator, lofting a pass into the area that Mac Allister met with a first-time volley to make it 3-1. With Argentina in complete control, Simeone then brought the house down with a 71st-minute strike to make it 4-1 – his first international goal. The 22-year-old son of Argentina legend Diego Simeone somehow blasted into the roof of the net from an acute angle to crown a dominant performance by the hosts. The win means Argentina have qualified for next year’s finals in North America with four games to spare. The Argentinians lead the 10-team qualifying group with 31 points from 14 games and are guaranteed one of the six automatic qualifying slots awarded to South America. Brazil are fourth. Dorival has failed to earn the trust of Brazil’s demanding fans after winning just seven of his 16 games in charge since taking over in early 2024. “Everything we planned, from the first minute of play, did not happen,” Brazil’s coach said at a news conference. “Argentina was much better in every way. I apologise to Brazil fans. We expected something very different from what we showed. It was a very difficult night for us.” Marquinhos, who was jeered off with his teammates after November’s 1-1 draw with Uruguay, added that all players should have done better in Buenos Aires. “It isn’t only about Dorival,” Marquinhos said. “This is not only the coach’s fault. It is the players too. We need to have our heads in the right place. They [Argentina] also had tough times before, and they overcame it. We can do it too.” In other South American games, Ecuador stayed on course for qualification with a 0-0 draw against Chile in Santiago. Ecuador are second in the standings, eight points adrift of Argentina on 23 points. Uruguay’s draw with Bolivia – and Brazil’s heavy loss – allowed them to move up to third place on goal difference. Colombia, meanwhile, missed the chance to close the gap on the leaders after a 2-2 home draw with Paraguay in Barranquilla. Goals from Luis Diaz and Jhon Duran fired Colombia into a 2-0 lead after just 13 minutes, but Paraguay grabbed a share of the points with goals from Junior Alonso and Julio Enciso. Venezuela boosted their hopes of a first-ever World Cup qualification with a 1-0 win over Peru in Maturin. Salomon Rondon’s 41st-minute penalty secured three precious points for Venezuela, who are the only South American team never to have qualified for the World Cup. Venezuela’s win lifted them into seventh place in the table, leaving them on course for an inter-confederation playoff. Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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