Argentina share spoils in 1-1 draw with Brazil

Argentina bossed the game, but Brazil fought back to snatch a point against the run of play. “We don’t like making excuses”, he said of the game in which Argentina were missing strikers Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez.

Moments later Di Maria embarrassed Luiz down the right flank, turning the midfielder inside out before firing in a low cross which flew across the face of goal.

Ezequiel Lavezzi put Argentina ahead 33 minutes into the rearranged match, but Lima’s 58th minute equaliser ensured the spoils were shared.

David Luiz was booked after 86 minutes for throwing an elbow and he was lucky not to get sent off for the rash intervention. Even though the team is always going to be at their best if they have the best player in the world on the pitch, having an attack consisting of Lavezzi, Higuain and Angel Di Maria still allows you to be unsafe and, in this case, improve your positioning in trying to clinch a 2018 World Cup berth.

“We missed with a few of our passing in the first half, and Argentina could take advantage of the counter-attacks”.

However, Argentina took charge again as the game wore on and Higuain was unlucky not to get on the end of a cross and make it 2-1.

With seconds remaining in normal time, David Luiz was given his marching orders after picking up his second yellow card in two minutes for a late lunge.

The result leaves Argentina in ninth place in the 10-team South American group with just two points after having failed to win any of their first three games.

Brazil meanwhile, rise to fourth with one win, one draw and one loss. Four teams qualify automatically for World Cup, while the fifth goes into a playoff.

“We failed to take advantage of that in the first half and we knew we had to take advantage of that situation”. We have to win at home and away, try to generate a few points, win a few or draw. Uruguay played without Barcelona star Luis Suarez, who is banned following his penalty for biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini in last year’s World Cup.