22 November 2023 , 06:50
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Emiliano Martinez was spotted trying to rip the baton out of a riot police officer's hand as Argentina's World Cup qualifier against Brazil was marred by violence in the crowd.
The two rivals met in Rio de Janeiro for what many expected to be a fiercely contested clash, but few could have predicted the manner in which things boiled over. Kick-off was delayed and Argentina skipper Lionel Messi led his team back into the dressing room away from all the chaos in the stands.
The close proximity of the two sets of rival fans appeared to cause problems and sparked violent scenes during the national anthems before the game was due to get underway. Police launched a baton charge at Argentina supporters during the Brazil national anthem as the trouble escalated, which is what sparked Martinez's intervention.
The Aston Villa goalkeeper was spotted trying to leap into the crowd to palm away one of the batons out of the police officer's hand. Clearly incensed, Martinez proceeded to furiously point and shout at one policeman in particular, before eventually being led away by a mixture of his team-mates and pitch-side security.
Shortly after this ugly incident, Messi opted to led his side off of the pitch, though Brazil's stars remained out there while they waited for the situation to calm down. Local reports claim that Argentina demanded a 15-minute delay to determine if the game was fit to play amid such a backdrop of anger and tension.
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However, the game did eventually get under way, though not before Messi was spotted in the midst of a heated exchange with Brazilian counterpart Rodrygo. It was the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner who would have the last laugh, given Argentina ran out 1-0 winner courtesy of a Nicolas Otamendi header just after the hour mark.
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Emi Martinez was spotted clashing with riot police
It appeared Martinez was trying to slap a baton out of an officer's handTwenty minutes later, the hosts were reduced to 10 men when Joelinton was shown a red card for lashing out at Rodrigo De Paul. The result marked the first defeat Brazil have suffered in World Cup qualifying on home soil and continued a run of three successive defeats.
Their recent record against rivals Argentina makes for miserable reading, with three losses and one draw from their last four meetings. To add insult to injury, the visitors opted to celebrate on the pitch with their fans come full-time.
After the game, Messi was scathing in his assessment of how police handled the situation. He TyC Sports: "We saw how the police were hitting people, also with some of our families here. It also happened in the [Copa] Libertadores final, again repressing the people. They are more focused on that than on playing the game. We are a family. We decided to play to make the situation more calm."