Brazil captain Marquinhos has apologized to fans after what he called an "embarrassing" performance in their 4-1 loss to Argentina in a World Cup qualifier in Buenos Aires.

Argentina secured the win with goals from Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister, and Giuliano Simeone. Before the match even started, Argentina had already qualified for the World Cup following Bolivia’s draw with Uruguay.

Matheus Cunha scored Brazil’s only goal, but the five-time champions suffered their worst-ever World Cup qualifying defeat. They have yet to secure a spot in next year’s tournament.

“What we did here can’t happen again,” Marquinhos told Brazilian TV station Globo. “It’s hard to talk about it in the heat of the moment. It’s embarrassing.”

He added: “We started the game badly, far below what we could do and they’re on a great run of confidence. They knew how to play smart. I’m sorry for our fans.”

Argentina, who were without Lionel Messi, went 2-0 ahead in the opening 12 minutes through Alvarez and Fernandez.

A mistake from Cristian Romero allowed Cunha to pull one back, but Mac Allister restored Argentina’s two-goal advantage before half-time.

Argentina wasted several chances to extend their lead before Giuliano Simeone wrapped up the win with 19 minutes left, sparking wild celebrations among the home fans.

“It was a historic result, winning by 4-1, and that makes us really proud, I’m so happy for the fans,” said Atletico forward Alcaraz.

Argentina leads the South American World Cup qualifying table with 31 points from 14 games. They are 16 points ahead of seventh-placed Venezuela, with the top six teams securing automatic qualification for next year’s tournament.

Brazil currently sits in fourth place with 21 points and has not yet secured qualification, with four matches still to play.

Meanwhile, Paraguay remains in fifth place, just one point ahead of sixth-placed Colombia, after their 2-2 draw in Barranquilla.

Colombia took an early lead with goals from Luis Diaz and Jhon Duran within the first 13 minutes. However, Paraguay fought back, with Junior Alonso scoring just before halftime and Julio Enciso equalizing in the second half.