Due to serious accidents in the stands, the game started almost half an hour late. The riots began while the national anthems were being played and in a sector occupied by the 3,000 Argentine ultras in attendance – most of whom mingled with the local public – where scuffles broke out with Brazilian fans. The police then intervened vigorously to stop the chaos.
The episode was reminiscent of the clashes in Copacabana during the Libertadores final between Boca Juniors and Fluminense. Given the situation, the Argentine players left the field and made their way to the scene of the incidents, while several Argentine spectators rushed onto the field to seek protection from the agents’ repression. At that moment, the captain of the Albiceleste national team, Lionel Messi, turned to the referee, the Chilean Piero Maza, and announced with eloquent gestures that he would remove the team from the field and go to the locker rooms with his teammates to wait because peace was restored