There were barely nine minutes on the clock when Argentina walked from the pitch never to return and a World Cup qualifier long riddled with tension and intrigue plumbed new depths of farce.
Brazilian public health agents and federal police officers were milling around on the touchline seemingly trying to identify Giovani Lo Celso, Emi Martinez, Cristian Romero and Emi Buendia.
The four Argentina internationals based in the Premier League had, according to the authorities, entered Brazil illegally.
The Argentina squad heading home right away, with the nation side's official Twitter account posting a picture of some of the players on board a plane with the caption: 'We are going home.