Angel Di Maria SPITS at Brazil fans after they throw beer on Argentina players retreating down the tunnel before ill-tempered World Cup qualifying match

• Angel Di Maria was filmed spitting at fans after having beer sloshed on him 
• The Argentine midfielder was retreating down the tunnel as violence flared 
• A ref had metal plates after a broken jaw and feared being followed home – IAKO 

New footage has surfaced of Angel Di Maria spitting at Brazil fans after they showered him in beer by the Maracana tunnel. 

Di Maria was retreating to the changing rooms with his Argentina team-mates due to crowd trouble in their World Cup qualifier with Brazil when he was doused in alcohol. 

Argentina’s players were walking beneath a throng of baying Brazil fans when the beer hit him, causing him to retaliate with a salivary shot of his own. 

The national anthems had been marred when fans started brawling and police officers bludgeoned supporters with batons, causing Lionel Messi to lead his countrymen to the shelter of the dressing room.

Kick-off was delayed by around half an hour and Emiliano Martinez launched himself at a policeman to disarm him as the rivalry collapsed into anarchy. 

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Angel Di Maria spat at a fan after having beer thrown in his face while walking down the tunnel

Violence between Brazil and Argentina supporters erupted during the national anthems 

The police then intervened by charging at the supporters before hitting them with batons 

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The video shows a streak of beer slosh onto Di Maria’s forehead before he jumps up at the fan, who is out of shot, and spits in their direction. 

It was unclear what started the unrest, but supporters were seen attacking each other and even ripping the seats from the stands and launching them.

In attempts to solve the situation, police charged at the away fans before shockingly wielding batons and hitting people – leaving some bloodied. 

Messi led his team-mates to safety amid the flaring tempers but things hardly cooled down.

After emerging, he and Rodrigo De Paul had a heated exhange with Brazilian forward Rodrygo, who accused them of being ‘cowards’. 

‘We are the world champions, why are we cowards? Look at your mouth,’ Messi shot back. 

In the first half alone, there were 22 fouls in a scrappy contest. 

At least one fan left the Maracana with blood on their head after the violent start to the game

Emiliano Martinez manhandled a police officer wielding a baton towards Argentina fans

Lionel Messi led his Argentina teammates to the dressing rooms as kick-off was delayed

Nicolas Otamendi got the only goal of the game in the second half to put Argentina on course to inflicting a first-ever home World Cup qualifying defeat on their enemies.

But the drama wasn’t even over.

Brazil substitute Joelinton was sent off not long after coming on after shoving De Paul in the chest – with the Argentina midfielder collapsing in dramatic fashion, clutching his face. 

While Joelinton didn’t appear to make contact with De Paul’s face, he was nonetheless giving his marching orders in the 81st minute.

After the final whistle, Messi hit out at the fetid atmosphere and the behaviour of he Brazilian police. 

He said: ‘We saw how [police] were hitting the people, it already happened in the Libertadores final,’ he said, referring to the scenes at the Maracana before Fluminense’s win over Boca Juniors this year.

Rodrygo accused Messi and Rodrigo De Paul of being ‘cowards’ for retreating down the tunnel  

Nicolas Otamendi scored the only goal of the game as Argentina silenced the Maracana

Joelinton was red carded for shoving Rodrigo De Paul in the face in a hugely fraught encounter 

‘They were more focused on that than on the game. We went to the locker room because it was the best way to calm everything down, a tragedy could have happened.

‘We are a family. We decided to play to make situation more calm.’

Messi also took to Instagram after the game as he wrote: ‘This team continues to make history.

‘Great victory in the Maracana although it will be marked by the repression of the Argentinians once again in Brazil. This can’t be tolerated it’s insane and it needs to end now!!’

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