Emi Martinez had to be restrained by teammates when he attempted to shield Argentine fans from baton-wielding Brazilian police during a South American World Cup qualifier at Rio’s Maracana. Trouble erupted during the national anthems, causing a 30-minute delay. Videos and images showed police charging at Argentina supporters and using batons on them.
The distressing scenes left several fans injured, with both children and adults visibly upset. Concerned Argentine players, including Martinez and captain Lionel Messi, approached the section in an effort to restore calm.
Martinez went as far as trying to jump into the stands to protect the traveling fans from the chaos. Teammates had to hold him back as he attempted to reason with the police before eventually retreating to the dressing rooms.
Despite the turmoil, Argentina emerged victorious, securing a 1-0 win over Brazil through a 63rd-minute goal by former Manchester City defender Nicolas Otamendi.
Brazil’s night worsened when Joelinton was sent off in an odd incident while trying to fend off Rodrigo De Paul, who had been holding him.
Messi addressed the crowd disturbance post-match, expressing concern for the fans’ safety, stating, “Obviously, at the beginning it was bad because we saw how they were beating people. You think about the family, the people who are there, who don’t know what’s going on and we are more concerned about that than playing a match. At that point the match was secondary.”
Following the win, Argentina leads the South American table with five victories out of six games, while Brazil is in a challenging position, currently sitting sixth and facing a tough road to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Damn.
(via @TyCSports) pic.twitter.com/fmlyikJSdC
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 22, 2023
Emiliano Martínez
Damián Emiliano Martínez
ArgentinaThis season he played in total 11 times for 990 minutes for Premier League.
He made 29 saves and conceded 16 goals. He received 2 yellow cards and no red cards.
His team is currently 5th in Premier League. In the last match Aston Villa won 3-1 against Fulham.
Aston Villa performance and stats
Aston Villa
Aston Villa is currently 5th in the Premier League with 25 points.
In the last 12 games, it has won 8 times, drawn once, and lost 3 times. In its last match, Aston Villa won 3-1 against Fulham.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 29 goals and conceding 17.
Aston Villa will play the next match in Premier League against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday 25th of November in London. The prediction is Tottenham Hotspur winning the match.
