On Tuesday, unheralded Saudi Arabia pulled off one of the greatest upsets in the annals of World Cup history by defeating Lionel Messi and Argentina by a score of 2-1. The victory was accomplished by a sensational comeback in the second half.
Messi, at 35 years old, scored a penalty in the tenth minute of a dominant first-half performance in which he and Lautaro Martinez both had three goals disallowed for offside. This was Messi’s sixth and last attempt to win the one major prize that had eluded him throughout his career.
But Saudi Arabia, the side with the second-lowest ranking in the competition behind Ghana, decided to throw caution to the wind at the beginning of the second half and charged at Argentina’s defense in front of a passionate crowd of 88,012 people.
Saleh Al-Shehri scored with a low drive in the 48th minute, and Salem Al-Dawsari scored with a scorching blast from the outside of the penalty area in the 53rd minute, leaving Argentina and Lionel Messi looking completely stunned in the first game of Group C.
After then, Argentina enjoyed a lot of control of the ball, but they were unable to break through Saudi Arabia’s defense. Saudi Arabia was playing in their sixth World Cup, although they had never won their tournament’s opening game before.
The entire game was played in an extraordinary atmosphere at the Lusail Stadium, with Argentina’s traditionally massive and rowdy following being matched by the thousands of Saudis who had crossed the border to cheer on their team. Argentina’s traditionally massive and rowdy following was matched by the thousands of Saudis who had crossed the border to cheer on their team.
