Saudi Arabia stun Lionel Messi’s Argentina in World Cup opener
One of the tournament favourites, Argentina, were stunned 2-1 by Saudi Arabia in their opening FIFA World Cup Group C match on Tuesday at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar.
The shock defeat is the first of the 2022 showpiece with Saudi Arabia ending Argentina’s incredible 36-game unbeaten run, dating back to 2019.
The South American champions were the dominant team in the first half, as expected. They were rewarded with a penalty that was easily converted by superstar Lionel Messi in the 10th minute.
They also had three of their goals ruled offside before the halftime break.
ARGENTINA STUNNED BY SAUDI ARABIA
But the Saudi Arabian came back with a rejuvenated side in the second stanza.
They got the equaliser three minutes into the half by Mohammed Al-Shehri. It took five minutes for captain Shafi Al-Dawsari to score the winning goal with a brilliant solo effort.
Saudi Arabia are the second-lowest ranked team in the tournament at position 51.
“La Albiceleste” last defeat in their opening match at a World Cup was against Cameroon in 1990. But they went on to reach the final where lost to Germany.
The two-time World Cup champions will now face Mexico on Saturday in a must win encounter.
Saudi Arabia on the other hand are also back in action on the same day and will face Poland.
Meanwhile, Messi became the first Argentinian to score in four World Cups. It was also his 20th appearance in the tournament. Only Maradona has played more games for Argentina at the World Cup with 21 appearances.
Striker Lautaro Martinez blamed the defeat on the mistakes by the team.
“This hurts a lot. We were dreaming of starting the World Cup with a win,” he told the media after the match.
“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.”