Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister found himself embroiled in a mass brawl sparked by a tackle on Darwin Nunez. The Reds' midfielder was selected for the latest Argentina squad for the ongoing international break and featured in their win over Uruguay.
He started the World Cup qualifier on Friday, where he faced off against Liverpool teammate Nunez. However, tensions escalated between the two. Tottenham defender Cristian Romero left the forward sprawling after a poorly timed challenge, inciting a heated exchange between both teams, with players from each side getting involved.
Mac Allister was among those involved but luckily escaped further repercussions and was substituted in the 80th minute. Despite the rough tackle, Nunez was able to continue playing until he was eventually substituted in the 72nd minute.
Although no red card was issued following the incident, Argentina were later reduced to ten men towards the end of the match. Nicolas Gonzalez received his marching orders for catching Nahitan Nandez in the face with a high boot.
Despite missing some key players, Argentina emerged victorious through Thiago Almada's goal, with manager Lionel Scaloni praising his squad's unity in victory. He said: "The national team is a team. When one is missing, another steps up. We had some very important absentees but we have great players to go out on the field. The team is always more than just the names."
Argentina are set to face their arch-rivals Brazil next week in Buenos Aires after a fiery match against Uruguay, while Uruguay will try to advance their World Cup qualifying efforts against Bolivia.
Striker Nunez is eager to overcome his poor form with Liverpool, telling Uruguayan journalists recently: "[I'm motivated] to forget a little about what's happening there [at Liverpool]. Besides, there's nothing more beautiful for a player than wearing your country's jersey.
"These are moments that one goes through in football. I'm not someone who throws in the towel because they don't play, but instead I'm going to keep working so I can play. I know I'm not performing as well as I should."
A version of this article first appeared on Mirror Football