With a combined eight FIFA World Cup triumphs between them, Brazil and Argentina are often recognised as the two major heavyweights in South American football. The fixture fuels debate in the eternal Diego Maradona vs Pele 'GOAT' conversation, while modern-day legend Lionel Messi has often battled Neymar - two players named by Maradona and Pele as their successors - on the international scene. The Albiceleste's clashes with the Selecao are often fiercely competitive and can provide moments of great controversy, with neither side willing to give an inch to their continental neighbours.
Argentina and Brazil had already squared off before in the 1937 Campeonato Sudamericano, the former claiming a 1-0 win thanks to Enrique Garcia's effort, and they met again in a play-off after producing identical records of four wins and a loss apiece in the first phase. A hard-hitting final featuring a fair few bust-ups required extra time to produce a winner. De la Mata's two goals ensured Argentina won their fifth continental trophy. World Cup failures are taken pretty hard by Brazil. As record five-time winners, the Selecao's aim is always reclaiming the gold trophy, but their hopes came to an abrupt end in the last 16 back in 1990 at Turin's Stadio Delle Alpi. Brazil hadn't thrilled the Italian crowds at the World Cup like in previous tournaments and their wastefulness in the final third helped La Albiceleste resist their pressure and strike the game's only.
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