{"id":1377928,"date":"2025-03-24T17:30:37","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T17:30:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1377928"},"modified":"2025-03-24T17:30:37","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T17:30:37","slug":"argentina-brazil-last-meeting-without-messi-neymar","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/argentina-brazil-last-meeting-without-messi-neymar\/","title":{"rendered":"What did the last Argentina vs Brazil game without Messi or Neymar look like?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Argentina and Brazil are set to face off at the Monumental in the 14th round of CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers.<\/strong><\/p>\n

On a rare occasion, the Brazilians are sitting third in the table after years of regional dominance in South America. This time, it is the Argentinians who lead the race.<\/p>\n

Still, neither team will have its main man available for tomorrow’s encounter. Lionel Messi and Neymar were both named in the squads but withdrew due to injury. This means that Argentina and Brazil will face off without the pair for the first time in nearly 20 years. Here’s what the last one looked like.<\/p>\n

The last of the best<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The reigning world champions, Brazil, were enjoying their last full year as the best team in the world. Although they would continue to be considered favourites in every competition for years to come due to their star-studded lineup, the 2005 Confederations Cup final marked one of the final times they combined their impressive roster with the quality of football displayed on the field.<\/p>\n

As was typical for them, the green-and-yellow team did not put forth much effort during the group stage, ending with one win, one draw, and one loss over three games. They finished second in Group B, behind Mexico\u2014the team that had defeated them\u2014and had to face the host country, Germany, in the semifinals. The match was a thrilling encounter, with all five goals scored in the first half, resulting in a 3\u20132 victory for Brazil. Meanwhile, Argentina advanced to the final after defeating Mexico in a penalty shootout.<\/p>\n

[dugoutvideo id=”eyJrZXkiOiIiLCJwIjoic3F1YXdrYSIsInBsIjoiSGEzWngzaDUifQ==” partner=”squawka”]<\/span><\/p>\n

Trademark Adriano and Kak\u00e1<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Brazil and Argentina had already faced each other in a final the previous year\u2014the 2004 Copa Am\u00e9rica. That match ended in a 2\u20132 draw, with Brazil becoming champions after winning the penalty shootout.<\/p>\n

In 2005, the story was different<\/a>\u2014and not as evenly matched. In the 11th minute, Adriano struck one of his famous powerful left-footed shots from distance, leaving goalkeeper Germ\u00e1n Lux with no chance. Just five minutes later, Kak\u00e1 added a beautiful curler from outside the box, finding the top right corner and making it 2\u20130 within the first 15 minutes of play.<\/p>\n