Brazil 0 Argentina 1:THE EVENING call to prayer from the minarets was nearly drowned out by the strains of a samba band in full, enthusiastic, swing outside the Khalifa Stadium last night.
It proved a thoroughly eclectic, sometimes culturally confusing, sort of evening in downtown Doha, but a game won by Lionel Messi’s brilliant late solo goal may not have been a one-off.
In 12 years Qataris hope to deconstruct numerous practical and political preconceptions about the Arab world’s ability to host a World Cup by becoming the first Middle East country to stage one.
Brazil and Argentina were invited here to help showcase Qatar’s bid for the 2022 tournament, and as their supporters swayed to the South American beat supplied by live acts in the fairground style FanZone adjacent to the ground, it was easy to suspend doubts about bringing world football’s showpiece to the desert.
A relatively slimline Ronaldinho, recalled to the international fold by Mario Menezes, Dunga’s successor as Brazil coach, tested Sergio Romero’s goalkeeping reflexes with an audacious backheel. Not to be outdone, Messi, who would later celebrate his first win against Brazil in five attempts, sent a dipping, swerving strike elegantly off target.
In the second minute of injury time, Messi sashayed beyond half the Brazilian team before indulging in one final defender-defying trick and dispatching the ball into the bottom corner.
Guardian Service
BRAZIL:Víctor; Daniel Alves, Thiago Silva, David Luiz, André Santos; Ramires (Jucilei 85), Lucas, Elías; Ronaldinho (Douglas 72); Robinho y Neymar (Andre 78).
ARGENTINA: Sergio Romero; Javier Zanetti, Nicolás Pareja, Nicolás Burdisso, Gabriel Heinze; Ever Banega, Javier Mascherano, Javier Pastore (D'Alessandro 70), Lionel Messi; Gonzalo Higuaín (Lavezzi 46), Di Maria.
Referee: Abdala Balideh (Qatar).
