It’s no secret that South America’s most successful soccer nations hate each other. Brazil and Argentina have routinely expressed their dislike for one another over the course of their long standing rivalry. For decades, both teams–and their supporters–have had a deep longing to see the other in agony. So, it comes as no surprise that, with Argentina’s World Cup hopes hanging in the balance, and Brazil having a say in their destiny, Seleçao fans are calling for action.
Argentina are currently sitting just outside the qualifying spots, behind fifth-place Peru on goal difference in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying standings. With one more matchday left on Tuesday night, Argentina can qualify at least through the playoff spot with a win over Ecuador in Quito. However, if the Albiceleste were to draw Ecuador, they would need some help to stay alive. Enter Brazil. If the top-of-the-table Seleçao beat third-place Chile in Brazil, Argentina could qualify over the Chileans on goal difference, allowing them to take on New Zealand in the inter-confederation playoff for a spot in Russia 2018.
With Brazil already clinching the stop spot in qualifying, Brazilian fans have taken to social media to call for their team to roll over in the game against Chile, to further hamper Argentina’s World Cup hopes. Supporters from Chile and Brazil have seemingly joined forces against Argentina, taking Twitter by storm with the hashtags “#EntregaProChile” and “#EntregaBrasil.” It’s important to note here that Brazil has never lost in World Cup Qualifying at home, so what their fans are asking would be a historic loss for the Seleçao. No one seems to care about that, though.
https://twitter.com/emmalarag/status/916274424826953728
https://twitter.com/nomadepanama/status/916310819717120001
Brazilians’ worst nightmare could have come true just 3 years ago, as Argentina almost won the World Cup on Brazilian soil in the 2014 edition of the tournament. Now, Brazil has Argentina’s fate in their hands. What will they do with it?