BRAZIL and Argentina drew 0-0 Wednesday night in a 2010 World Cup qualifying match that saw two teams known for offensive fire locked in a defensive battle.
The outcome, while not satisfactory for either side, was not unwelcome either. Brazil is coming off two shocking losses, while Argentina barely squeaked out a 1-1 draw against Ecuador on Sunday.
Argentina — FIFA’s No. 1 team in the world — played conservatively in the first half, not giving Brazil the space to take many clean shots on goal. Brazil played aggressively and kept the ball in its half. The Brazilian defense quickly snuffed out any offensive sparks Argentina managed.
On Sunday, Brazil lost 2-0 to Paraguay, which leads the South America World Cup qualifying group. Earlier, Brazil lost for the first time ever to Venezuela.
“We played a great team with a lot of experience,” Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar said. “We played completely different than we did against Paraguay — we played a great defensive game but just couldn’t get a goal, unfortunately.”
Argentina couldn’t have been too unhappy with the draw — the team has lost three straight to the Brazilians, being outscored 10-1 in those matches dating to 2005. Argentina hasn’t won on Brazilian soil since 1998.
The draw puts Argentina in second place behind Paraguay in the South American qualifying group, with 11 points. Brazil is fourth place with nine points, while Colombia sits third with 10.
In the second half, both teams came out and played actively. The defenses wore down, allowing more room for strikers from both teams to seek the elusive goal.
In the 56th, Argentine striker Julio Cruz sent a hard shot off the crossbar. Five minutes later, Brazil’s Julio Baptista just missed on a penalty kick that nearly curved smartly over Argentina’s defense.
Argentine star Lionel Messi was the most active player on the field, dribbling around Brazil’s defense and taking several nice shots. He nearly gave Argentina a win in stoppage time, sending a booming left footer off Julio Cesar’s hands, then putting a rebound kick just over the net.
The draw will increase the pressure on Brazilian coach Dunga, who has come under fire in the local media that wants to see more spark in national team.
(SD-Agencies)