What Gabriel Jesus did during Brazil v Argentina as Arsenal star causes controversy

Arsenal centre-forward Gabriel Jesus made his return to action for Brazil against Argentina on Wednesday evening, making it his first competitive appearance since October 21.

Since then, Jesus had been out of action with a hamstring injury. His appearance for Brazil will come as good news to Arsenal supporters - not only did he remain uninjured throughout the game, it also means he should be fit to play against Brentford on November 25.

On Brazil's performance against Argentina, interim head coach Fernando Diniz said: "We had chances, the ball hit the post, dangerous corners, we were in danger today from set pieces; he had the decisive ball in the second half, because there was Gabriel Jesus’ play with Martinelli, but unfortunately the ball didn’t go in.

"I want to highlight the commitment of the players, the construction of the team, today was a game in which you saw a lot of collective construction. It’s difficult to take on a team, even more so by changing the team a lot, and being able to have the cohesion that the team showed today."

How did Gabriel Jesus perform for Brazil against Argentina?

Sadly, Jesus showed plenty of rustiness against Argentina. He was certainly far from his dynamic self - although, it is likely he was playing as conservatively as possible in order to avoid aggravating his existing injury. He was not the only poor performer for Brazil on the night, though. Rodrygo, Raphinha and fellow Gunner Gabriel Martinelli also failed to find the back of the net in what was a frustrating night for the Verde-Amarela.

The only goal of the game was scored by former Manchester City defender Nicolas Otamendi, as Argentina won by a score of 1-0 - additionally, Newcastle United's Joelinton was also sent off.

What did Gabriel Jesus do that sparked controversy?

During the game, Jesus made a gesture that saw him hold up two of his fingers with his palm facing inwards. This is believed to be related to a previous encounter between Brazil and Argentina during the Covid-19 pandemic, where several Argentina players were accused of giving false information regarding the Covid protocols. The game was stopped and the Argentina players were escorted from the pitch.

In the game on Wednesday evening, the Argentina team once again departed the pitch during a clash between the two sets of supporters. As such, it is believed that Jesus was referencing that this is the second time that this has occurred.