Argentina, led by Messi, is stunned by a 2-1 comeback victory by Saudi Arabia.
Messi and Argentina are shocked by two second-half goals from lowly Saudis. shock after being the clear favorites
Saudi Arabia’s game-winning goals were scored by Al-Shehri and Al-Dawsari.
LUSAIL: Unheralded One of the biggest upsets in World Cup history occurred on Tuesday, when Saudi Arabia defeated Lionel Messi and Argentina 2-1 after trailing 1-0 at halftime.
Messi, now 35 years old, scored a penalty in the 10th minute during a dominant first half performance in which he and Lautaro Martinez had three goals disallowed for offside. This was Messi’s fifth and final attempt to win the one major trophy that had eluded him.
However, Saudi Arabia, the tournament’s second-worst ranked team after Ghana, showed no restraint as they stormed the field early in the second half to attack Argentina’s defense in front of a delirious crowd of 88,012.
Both Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari scored in the first half, with Al-Shehri scoring in the 48th minute and Al-Dawsari scoring a stunning goal from the edge of the box in the 53rd. The goals left Argentina and Messi looking completely flummoxed.
After that, Argentina had a lot of possession, but they couldn’t score against Saudi Arabia, who were making their sixth World Cup appearance but had never won their opening game before.
The Lusail Stadium was electric for the entire match as Argentina’s huge and rowdy home crowd was joined by thousands of Saudis who had crossed the border to cheer on their team.
All of our hopes and dreams have come true thanks to our amazing team! in addition to, “Where is Messi? The green-clad Saudis chanted, “We beat him!” over and over in Lusail Stadium, rising to their feet and roaring with delight at every defensive clearance.
Messi’s hope is fading
Mexico and Poland are up next for both teams, and Argentina needs to respond quickly if Messi is to have any chance of matching Diego Maradona’s immortality in Argentina by bringing home the World Cup.
This result ended Argentina’s incredible unbeaten streak of 36 matches and brought up old concerns about their defensive capabilities. This prevented them from matching Italy’s record of 37 games without a loss on the international stage.
It also prevented Messi from becoming the first player from his country to score in four World Cups, despite making 20 appearances in the tournament. Only Maradona has played more games for Argentina at the World Cup, 21 in all.
“This hurts a lot. We were dreaming of starting the World Cup with a win,” said Messi’s strike partner Martinez. “But it’s happened and now we have to train and think forward.
“We lost this game because of our own mistakes, most of all in the second half. There are details that make a difference and we need to correct our mistakes.”
It had all looked so different at the start when the marauding Messi nearly scored in the opening seconds, celebrated joyfully after sending Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais the wrong way with his penalty, then had another goal disallowed.
For the Saudis, the result buried their dismal history at the start of tournaments, including a 5-0 thrashing by hosts Russia in 2018 and an 8-0 pummelling by Germany in 2002.
Their feat against the twice World Cup-winners and current South American champions was all the more remarkable given the departure of their influential captain and midfielder Salman Al Faraj just after halftime, clutching a hamstring.
Argentina’s last defeat was by Brazil in the semi-finals of the Copa America in July 2019. They are ranked third, 48 places above Saudi Arabia, by world football’s governing body FIFA.
Argentina’s last defeat in their opening match at a World Cup was against Cameroon in 1990.
