Emiliano Martinez Mocks Brazil as Argentina Humiliate Bitter Rivals
Robin Mumford
17 – 21 minutes
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Emiliano Martinez Argentina
Emiliano Martinez toyed with Brazil so much on Tuesday night that even Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni had to tell him to stop. The heated World Cup qualifier saw the long-standing rivals clash, with Brazil suffering a crushing defeat. First-half goals from Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez, and Alexis Mac Allister sent Argentina into the break with a commanding 3-1 lead before Giuliano Simeone sealed the emphatic victory.
Ballon d’Or favourite Raphinha was confident Brazil could challenge the reigning world champions, especially with Lionel Messi sidelined due to injury, and spent a lot of time in the build-up rallying his team. However, those expectations quickly crumbled as Brazil endured a humiliating night, struggling once again to match their South American rivals.
Having boasted the lion’s share of possession and being far more effective in the final third of the pitch, it was Argentina who seemed to be in cruise control from the first whistle to the last. “We humbly did our job and played a great game. We gave them a show,” Alvarez said afterwards (watch his opener below).
“It was a historic result, winning by 4-1, and that makes us really proud, I’m so happy for the fans, for helping the team and to see how we played an impressive game at home. It’s great to know that we are qualified for the World Cup.”
A 0-0 draw between Uruguay and Bolivia earlier on Tuesday had sealed Argentina’s spot at the 2026 World Cup as they became the first South American team to qualify for the tournament in North America.
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How Emiliano Martinez Mocked Brazil During 4-1 Win
The Yashin Trophy holder didn’t hold back with his showboating
Emiliano Martinez
Martinez has built a reputation as a master of mind games for both Argentina and Aston Villa, and with such a dominant win over Brazil, midweek provided the perfect stage for more of his trademark antics. From his time-wasting shenanigans in the Premier League to the infamous Golden Glove gesture after the 2022 World Cup, Martinez has never been one to shy away from opportunities to get under his opponents’ skin.
This appetite was on display again on Tuesday as, with eight minutes plus stoppage time still to play, he was seen doing keepy-ups. Watch the incident below:
Having now secured qualification for the finals, Argentina maintained its lead with 31 points (10 wins, 1 draw, 3 losses), while Brazil remain in fourth place with 21 points. But the fixture posed much more significance than just qualification to the 2026 World Cup, with bragging rights filling up much of the drama.
Argentina versus Brazil is one of football’s most epic battles, and Tuesday night wasn’t short on that derby day feeling, as clashes between both sets of players were frequent. In the end, though, it was a straightforward occasion for La Albiceleste, who proved just as fruitful without their talisman – and Martinez’s mockery serves as evidence of that.
