In the end, Brazil's dependence on Neymar was greater than that of Argentina on Lionel Messi. Argentina's 12th goal of the tournament was the first and only goal without Messi - and it was enough to give Messi his first senior title of international career, as well as Argentina's first goal since 1993.
Saturday's 1-0 win in the Copa America final was the fruit of Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni's desire to replace the winning side - or at least one that came into the semi-finals after a penalty shootout. He replaced five sides - half of the outfield squad - from the lineup of Tuesday's game against Colombia. There was a routine in which centre-back Cristian Romero was returning from injury. Both were replaced full-back; Scalloni clearly wants fresh feet on the bottom.
And the other two changed the composition of the side. The most defensive midfielder, Guido Rodriguez gave way to Leandro Paredes. This might have sounded strange. But Scoloni decided he didn't need to start with Rodriguez as he solidified the area. Argentina drew 4-4-2 instead of the usual 4-3-3. Left wing Nicolas Gonzalez gave way to Angel Di Maria.
It was a match-winning, a title-winning switch.
A price had to be paid. Giovanni Lo Celso was widened to the left ahead of Messi. It was this partnership that gave the team consistent quick starts throughout the tournament. There was no quick start this time. But in the end there was something to celebrate, as the thinking behind Di Maria's inclusion proved to be correct. His role was to bite the back, inside Rennon Lodi, attacking Thiago Silva's space. This was where the game was won.
Strong Man of the Match candidate Rodrigo de Paul delivers a long diagonal ball to Di Maria to chase. Rennan Lodi couldn't control, and Di Maria was there to defeat Ederson with a furry lob. Scoloni was rewarded for making changes to his team.
Brazil coach Tite may regret not doing so. He sent the same lineup that beat Peru on Monday. Some of their problems were predictable. A significant flaw in the goal was the lack of pressure on de Paul in the middle of the field. Brazil was putting up better pressure when Eder Militao made it to the centre-back. But Tait stuck with Thiago Silva, who has inevitably lost some of his momentum. He tends to stay deep, and the team breaks up into separate units as a result.
In attack, Tite has little advantage over winger Everton Soares, who was a breakout star and Golden Boot winner in the 2019 Copa but has not been in top form lately. The Brazilian coach worked overtime trying to rebuild his attack during the game. Roberto Firmino came in on laps, pushing the Argentine centre-back and giving Neymar space to bring Richardson into the game, cutting off the right. It was the closest Brazil to a goal, with Richardson dismissing a strike for a narrow offside and another saved by Emiliano MartÃnez.
Vinicius Jr. came in to put some emphasis on the left. Striker Gabriel Barbosa came in, who forced Martinez to make another smart save. Argentina withdrew. Messi was left alone ahead, though he had a chance to get things going after a superb one-two with de Paul, only to lose control at the crucial moment. De Paul bursts to the stop by Ederson, but by then the action was taking place at the other end.
The Argentine prepared to stop Neymar by any means, reasonable means and fouls, even queuing to try to tackle rugby in desperation. It was a time of calm, and Brazil was struggling to stay calm. Fouls, frequent interruptions, yellow cards - all worked in Argentina's favour.
It was not beautiful; This was no classic. But it will live on for a long time in Argentina's memory, especially in the memory of fans - 10% of the stadium's capacity - who were controversially and chaotically allowed to enter Rio de Janeiro's Maracan stadium.
A long wait is over. As the final whistle blew, the entire Argentine team rushed to Messi - a graphic illustration of how well he is integrated into the team. Few would congratulate him for his moment - and the long hug between him and Neymar minutes after the whistle was as memorable as anything else on the field.