Argentina, Brazil lose World Cup 2026 qualifiers without Messi and Neymar
Al Jazeera
The South American football giants missed their biggest stars as they were handed shock losses away from home.
Two South American football powerhouses lost their FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying matches in the absence of their biggest stars, as Lionel Messi missed Argentina’s 2-1 loss to Colombia and Neymar was absent as Brazil were upset by Paraguay.
James Rodriguez scored from the penalty spot and had an assist to help Colombia edge world champions Argentina 2-1 in Barranquilla and Diego Gomez netted the winner for Paraguay in a 1-0 victory over Brazil at Asuncion on Tuesday.
Both Argentina and Brazil struggled without their injured stars, with the replacements for Messi and Neymar unable to deliver away wins for their teams.
It was sweet revenge for Colombia, who were beaten 1-0 by Argentina in a bitterly disappointing Copa America final loss as the World Cup 2022 winners also lifted the continental trophy in Miami in July. The Colombians seemed to have that match on their minds as they found a way to beat Argentina for the first time since 2019.
