The first week of Euro 2008 has produced its share of quality soccer, but on Wednesday the international bar will be raised when Brazil hosts Argentina in a World Cup 2010 qualifier in Belo Horizonte.
While the Europeans typically err on the side of caution in Switzerland and Austria, the South Americans will almost certainly take the opposite approach in Brazil. Rather than backing up to their own goal, Brazil and Argentina live by the mantra of going at opposing defenders with the kind of passionate conviction that is all too rare these days.
That doesn't take away from the engaging play of Portugal, Croatia, The Netherlands and Spain at Euro 2008. But even partisans of those teams will concede that no European nation attacks with the same vigor and efficiency as the Brazilians and Argentines. This will be the ninth meeting between the teams this decade, with the previous eight games averaging 3.75 goals. By comparison, the first 16 games of Euro 2008 averaged 2.43 goals.
"I don't like the European championship," Argentina coach Alfio Basile said Thursday at a news conference in Buenos Aires. "As always, the Europeans play firstly to qualify [for the knockout phase]."
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Argentina and Brazil, meanwhile, play entirely to their attacking strengths, even against each other. The trend of late has been for Argentina to dominate possession in the midfield while Brazil gets the goals through individual brilliance. Brazil has outscored the Argentines 20-10 in compiling a 6-2 advantage since 2000, with the most recent win being last year's 3-0 thrashing in the Copa America final.
Brazil has beaten Argentina's A team in the last two Copa finals, despite being at less than full strength. In fact, it appears as though the Brazilians have a hex of sorts on the Argentines, whose two wins in this decade came in World Cup qualifiers played in Buenos Aires. Brazil, which leads the all-time series 35-34 with 23 draws, has won in London, Peru, Venezuela and twice at home during that same period.
The 2007 Copa final was especially galling for Argentina, which had scored 16 goals in five games leading up to the final. Brazil coach Dunga, sensing his team was outmanned for once, stifled the Argentina attack by having his team commit 37 fouls, many of them on midfield playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme.
That tactic may not play well in front a home crowd Wednesday, even though Dunga will be short-handed again because of injuries to Kaka and Ronaldinho. As always with Brazil, there are options. According to a news report out of Brazil, Dunga may start Robinho alongside Luis Fabiano, who scored 24 goals for Sevilla last season in La Liga.
The only omission for Argentina will be Carlos Tevez, who Basile is resting after his season at Manchester United. Riquelme didn't play during a two-game tour of the U.S., but he'll be in Belo Horizonte along with veteran midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron, and 20-year-old forwards Lionel Messi and Sergio "Kun" Aguero (19 goals for Atletico Madrid).
Before playing each other, the teams play South American qualifiers today, with Brazil at first-place Paraguay and Argentina hosting Ecuador. It's a foregone conclusion that Brazil and Argentina will be among the four South American teams that will play in South Africa two summers from now, but that can't possibly diminish the drama of Wednesday's match.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/columnists/sfl-flsprusnak15sbjun15,0,6299948.column
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