LAGATAR24 NETWORK
New Delhi, Nov 22: Saudi Arabia stunned Lionel Messi and company on Tuesday at the Lusail Iconic Stadium after falling down early in its Group C opening against Argentina, one of the top candidates for the FIFA World Cup 2022. Argentina, spearheaded by Messi, got things going with a goal inside the first 10 minutes of the first half, living up to their status as the clear favourites at the World Cup in Qatar.
Messi, who was in charge of leading Argentina’s attack in its World Cup 2022 opener, converted a penalty in the 10th minute to give his team a 1-0 lead. Messi and company were expected to win the match at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in the second half after finishing the first half ahead of Saudi Arabia. The situation quickly changed for Argentina, though, as the Messi-led team was stunned by a superb equaliser from relative unknowns Saudi Arabia.
In the 48th minute of play, Saleh Al-Shehri managed to give Saudi Arabia the lead in the 2022 World Cup. A few minutes later, Salem Al-Dawsari of Saudi Arabia scored the second goal to cap an incredible comeback in the second half, dealing a severe blow to Argentina. In its tournament opener at Qatar, Saudi Arabia stunned the two-time World Cup champions by taking a shocking 2-1 lead thanks to goals from Al-Hilal stars Al-Shehri and Al-Dawsari.
Messi failed to save the former world champions in the second half after setting the record-breaking goal for Argentina in the first. Tuesday’s 2-1 victory over the Copa America champions by Saudi Arabia was one of the biggest upsets in FIFA World Cup history. Additionally, Saudi Arabia broke Argentina’s winning streak in international competition. At the Lusail Stadium earlier, Messi-led Argentina aimed to match Italy’s 37-game winning streak. The second-lowest-ranked team at the World Cup is Saudi Arabia, which is ranked 51st in the FIFA world rankings.
