A super sized friendly, star studded with jewels from the elite game; Brazil v Argentina on Australian soil in front of 95,000 fans - few could bill a spectacle of such proportion.
Perhaps it was the close season nature of this fixture or the supreme coming together of colossal stars that meant this was a little more of an occasion than a game. Argentina were the side that ran out 1-0 winners, though ultimately it was a game sprinkled with gold dust as players downed tools at club level and headed out to pick up the party on the international scene.
Not short in sights and brimming with energy from an anticipant audience, the turn out for this game shows the growing appetite for football in Australia. From Messi to Coutinho, this game gave those down under a chance to see some of the biggest names on the stage, first hand. Melbourne was the beautiful backdrop for the 108th meeting between the two sides.
Angel Di Maria was the player who secured his name on the scoresheet, while other major talking points came from a collision between Gabriel Jesus and Otamendi with the former ending up with a broken eye socket. This series of images captured by Aleksander Jason gives a unique view of an iconic fixture on played out on Australian shores.
Photography by Aleksander Jason
