Brazil predicts end to winless run in Argentina in World Cup qualifier

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Brazil predicts end to winless run in Argentina in World Cup qualifier

2025-03-25 04:09 Last Updated At：04:11

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Brazil has not won in Argentina for 16 years and hasn't scored in Argentina in 10 years.

That didn't put off Brazil striker Raphinha, who kicked off the hostilities on Monday by promising to score against the World Cup holder in Buenos Aires on Tuesday in a 2026 qualifier.

Raphinha also spoke about “kicking them” ... “on and off the pitch if needed” in a podcast with 1994 World Cup winner Romário.

Argentine media reproduced his comments widely.

Coach Lionel Scaloni tried to tamper any tensions.

“I did not go deep into that statement but I know what people told me. It is Argentina vs. Brazil, it is always an important game, but it is a game of soccer,” Scaloni said. “I remember the image of the final of the 2021 Copa America, Messi and Neymar sitting down at the Maracana Stadium. That is the image that all of us have to remember.”

Defender Marquinhos piled on by saying Brazil was set to break its 16-year winless streak in Argentina.

"It is our time to win now. It has been a while,” Marquinhos said in a press conference on Monday. "It won’t be easy, we will fight. We will have to be at our best both physically and mentally.”

Argentina, leading South America, can clinch a World Cup berth by drawing with third-placed Brazil with four rounds to spare.

The teams will meet in Monumental de Nunez Stadium without injured stars Lionel Messi and Neymar, and minus several other players due to suspension or injury.

They last met in 2023, when Argentina won 1-0 at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro at the start of this qualifying cycle.

Brazil is one point ahead of Uruguay and Paraguay. Colombia has the sixth and final direct qualification position.

Fourth-placed Uruguay will have a chance againat Bolivia to recover from Friday's 1-0 home defeat to Argentina. If the Bolivians fail to beat the Uruguayans, Argentina will qualify for the World Cup even if it loses against Brazil.

Colombia takes on Paraguay. Ecuador will travel to 10th-placed Chile. Venezuela will host ninth-placed Peru.

Argentina also won't have injured Lautaro Martínez and the suspended Nico González.

After the 1-0 away victory against Uruguay, three players appear to have the confidence of Scaloni: Midfielders Leandro Paredes and Giuliano Simeone and striker Thiago Almada, who scored the winner. They are expected to play against Brazil, too.

Brazil will miss goalkeeper Alisson due to concussion protocols, plus the suspended Bruno Guimarães and Gabriel Magalhães. Coach Dorival Júnior said he will make six changes for the clash in Buenos Aires, including the replacement of target man João Pedro — who didn't score in the last-minute 2-1 win against Colombia — for Matheus Cunha.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Wildfires ravage southern South Korea, killing 24 people and forcing 27,000 to evacuate

2025-03-26 16:09 Last Updated At：16:10

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The death toll from wildfires ravaging southern regions of South Korea rose to 24, officials said Wednesday. The National Fire Agency says 26 other people have sustained varying degrees of injuries.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Wind-driven wildfires that were among South Korea's worst ever were ravaging the country's southern regions, killing 18 people, destroying more than 200 structures and forcing 27,000 people to evacuate, officials said Wednesday.

Officials also said a helicopter crashed during efforts to contain wildfires in the southeastern town of Uiseong, one of the areas hardest-hit by the wildfires. The Korea Forest Service said rescue efforts were underway and it was presumed that the aircraft was operated by one pilot with no crew members.

An ancient Buddhist temple, houses, factories and vehicles were among the structures destroyed in the wildfires that have burned 43,330 acres and injured 19 people, the government’s emergency response center said.

In a televised address, South Korea’s acting President Han Duck-soo said the wildfires that began last Friday were causing worse damage than many other past wildfires.

“Damages are snowballing,” Han said. “There are concerns that we’ll have wildfire damages that we’ve never experienced, so we have to concentrate all our capabilities to put out the wildfires in the rest of this week.”

Han said crews were struggling to extinguish the wildfires because strong winds swept the areas overnight. Han said about 4,650 firefighters, soldiers and other personnel were working Wednesday to extinguish the wildfires with the help of about 130 helicopters. He said that “a small amount” of 5-10 millimeters of rain was expected Thursday.

Observers say the ongoing wildfires are the third biggest in South Korea in terms of land burned.

Officials in several southeastern cities and towns had ordered residents to evacuate Tuesday as firefighters struggled to contain multiple blazes fueled by dry winds. The largest fires were in Andong, the neighboring counties of Uiseong and Sancheong, and the city of Ulsan, according to South Korea's Interior Ministry.

Earlier on Tuesday, officials had said firefighters had extinguished most of the flames from the largest wildfires in those areas, but wind and dry conditions allowed the blazes to spread again. But efforts to fight the fires were partially suspended overnight as the winds strengthened.

The blaze in Uiseong destroyed nearly half of more than 30 structures at Gounsa, a temple which was said to be originally built in the 7th century. Among the destroyed structures were two state-designated “treasures" — a pavilion-shaped structure built on a stream built in 1668 and a Joseon Dynasty structure built in 1904 to mark the longevity of a king.

The temple’s another state-designated “treasure,” a stone Buddha statue reportedly manufactured in the 8th century, was evacuated to a safe place, according to government and Buddhist officials.

The Justice Ministry said it protectively removed 500 inmates from a detention center in Cheongsong, another southern town, but no damages were reported to the facility.

The Korea Forest Service said it had raised its wildfire warning to the highest “serious” level nationwide Tuesday, requiring local governments to assign more workers to emergency response, tighten entry restrictions for forests and parks, and recommend that military units withhold live-fire exercises.

The 18 dead include four firefighters and government workers who were killed in Sancheong on Saturday after being trapped by fast-moving flames driven by strong winds, according to officials.

Government officials suspect human error caused several of the fires, possibly due to the use of fire while clearing overgrown grass in family tombs or sparks from welding work.