Saudi Arabia defeated Lionel Messi’s star-studded Argentina, World Cup favorites 2-1 in the FIFA World Cup Qatar, it was one of the biggest upsets in football history.
Saudi Arabia stuns Argentina with a nail-biting match of the FIFA World Cup Qatar match and marks a big upset. Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-goals Dawsari’s stunned the favorites on Tuesday as Saudi Arabia defeated Argentina 2-1 in their Group C opener in one of the biggest surprises in World Cup history.
Lionel Messi’s penalty in the 10th minute had put the 51st-ranked Saudis behind, but Al-Shehri managed to score an angled goal in the 48th after punishing shoddy Argentine defending.
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Five minutes later, Al-Dawsari curled an incredible shot from the edge of the box into the top corner, sending the Saudi Arabian fans into a frenzy.
Argentina was on track to break Italy’s record 37-match unbeaten streak after the erratic Messi scored Argentina’s opening goal in his fifth and last World Cup by stroking in a penalty in the 10th minute.
Argentina would have been safe before halfway if not for three goals that were disallowed for offside, one for Messi and two for Lauturo Martinez. However, the game was dramatically changed after the break.
The Argentina defeat ranks up there with past shocking World Cup results like Senegal’s 1-0 victory over defending champion France in the tournament’s opening match in 2002 and the United States’ 1-0 victory over England in 1950.
On social media, some users praised Saudi Arabia for their enormous effort, with Saudi fans declaring that they were “glad to belong to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” as other fans praised their outstanding performance.
But many more supporters turned on Messi and his countrymen after the final whistle, labeling him a “choker” and a “bottle merchant” and criticizing Argentina for once again underwhelming on the international stage.