FIFA World Cup: Messi Shell-shocked as Saudi Arabia Beat Argentina 2-1 

Nov 22, 2022, 20:36 IST
Image credit: Twitter/@uniindianews - Sakshi Post

Doha: Saudi Arabia gave one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history on Tuesday with a 2-1 win over Lionel Messi’s Argentina. The Saudi football team dealt a hammer-blow to tournament favourites during the Group C opening match at Lusail Stadium in Doha. 

The Messi-led team was clueless as the Arabs played incredible football today. 35-year-old Messi scored a 10th minute penalty in a dominant first half display where he and Lautaro Martinez also had three goals disallowed for offside. However, Green Falcons and their keeper Al Owais kept denying the Argentinians further goals. 

The players of Saudi Arabia made a great come back in the start of the second half. First, Saleh Al-Shehri squeezed in a low shot in the 48th minute and within a window of just 5 minutes, Salem Al-Dawsari curled in a scorching strike from the edge of the penalty area leaving Messi shell-shocked. 

The Argentinians had the ball majority of the time but failed to penetrate the defence put up by the Green Falcons, who were competing in their sixth World Cup but had never previously won an opening game. 

“Our team fulfils our dreams!” and “Where is Messi? We beat him!”, the Saudis fans chanted over and over in the Lusail Stadium. 

This was for the first time that Argentina lost their first game of a World Cup since 1990 which also put an end to the 36-game unbeaten streak since 2019 where they had lost to Brazil in Copa America.

Also Read: Liver Transplant Recipient from Andhra Becomes First Indian to Compete in Tennis at WTG 2023


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