The World Cup in Qatar needed three days of ball rolling to meet the first big upset of this edition – perhaps, one of the biggest in the history of the competition. This Tuesday (22nd), Saudi Arabia beat Argentina, played by Lionel Messi, the current South American champion, by 2-1, in the upset, at Lusail Stadium.
Ended! THE #KSA wins comeback in debut against #ARG??
WHAT A HISTORICAL GAME! ??
— FIFA World Cup ? (@fifaworldcup_pt) November 22, 2022
The duel was the first in Group C of the World Cup, which still has Poland and Mexico. Europeans and North Americans face each other later this Tuesday, at 13:00 (Brasília time), at Stadium 974, in the capital Doha.
It was the first time that Falcões Verdes debuted with a victory in a Cup – in the five previous participations, there were four defeats and a draw. The Albiceleste, in turn, had not stumbled in the opening round of a World Cup since 1990, when they lost 1-0 to Cameroon in Italy.
The negative result ended an unbeaten run of 36 official matches for Argentina and prevented the South American team from equaling the longest unbeaten streak in international football. The brand continues with Italy, which went 37 games without losing from 2018 to 2021. The last stumbling block of the brothers had been to Brazil, by 2 to 0, at Mineirão, in Belo Horizonte, in the semifinal of the 2019 Copa América.
Argentina’s stumble against Saudi Arabia in the opening of the Cup leaves Messi upset, as the World Cup in Qatar could be the last of the striker’s career – REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/Rights Reserved
Despite the setback, the game was also historic for Messi. Just by being on the field, the star isolated himself as the Argentine with the most Cups played (five), in addition to matching former defensive midfielder Javier Mascherano as the second player in the country with the most appearances in World Cups (20), behind only the idol Diego Armando Maradona (21).
The selections return to the field this Saturday (26), for the second round. The Saudis play at 10am against Poland at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan. At 4 pm, again in Lusail, Argentina will face Mexico.
Argentina ahead, but….
It only took one minute of the game for Messi to give the Saudi defense the first scare. A flat hit, in the right corner, at the entrance to the area, forced goalkeeper Muhammed Al-Owais to stretch to avoid the Argentine goal, but it was a matter of time. At seven minutes, the Slovakian referee Slavko Vincic was called to the video to analyze a pull of the lateral Yasser Al-Shahrani in the defensive midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, inside the area. The penalty was awarded and it was up to Messi, at eight, to move Al-Owais in charge and put the brothers forward.
?? @Argentina ?? 1 (Lionel #Messi) ?? #Saudi Arabia ?? 0
⏱ 25′ EN pic.twitter.com/Cg0crVp0MD
— Argentine national team ?? (@Argentina) November 22, 2022
After the shower of cold water with less than ten minutes, Arabia got ready on the field, going up the marking lines and “inviting” the Argentines to look for releases, betting on a well-synchronized offside line to neutralize the rival attack. The strategy, although risky, worked, leaving the South American team out of the game seven times in 20 minutes. Messi and fellow striker Lautaro Martínez even scored, but the bids were invalidated by centimeters.
The sequence of impediments heightened anxiety in the Argentine team, who missed more passes than usual and practically did not scare the Saudi goal in the first half. Not that the Asians, however, were taking advantage. Ahead, the Green Hawks ran into a lack of creativity and insisted on aerial balls, giving goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez zero work. Until that moment, of course.
saudi turn
On the way back from the break, the Saudis showered the Argentines with cold water. At two minutes, Messi lost the ball in the middle and “gave” the counterattack to the Asians, finalized in a crossed kick by Saleh Al-Shehri, which he received from midfielder Feras Al-Brikan, beat defender Cristian Romero and hit the song by Emiliano Martínez. Five minutes later, in the wake of a shot from the right that exploded in the defense, fellow striker Salem Al-Dawsari dominated on the left side of the area, cut inside, dribbled past De Paul and finished in the corner. Turning on Lusail.
— المنتخب السعودي (@SaudiNT) November 22, 2022
The match became a true attack against defense, with commendable Saudi delivery and poor Argentine aim and inspiration. In the 17th minute, Al-Owais performed a miracle by saving a deflection by lateral Nicolás Tagliafico in the small area, after a shot by defender Lisandro Martínez almost on the penalty spot. At 38 minutes, the goalkeeper got the better of Messi and grabbed the star’s header, which was free in the area, after a cross from the right by striker Ángel Di Maria.
In the 45th minute, Júlian Álvarez had the clearest opportunity for the brothers, when he finished without a goalkeeper, inside the area, after a split between Al-Owais and defender Nícolas Otamendi. The attacker’s kick was saved from the head, over the line, by defender Abdulelah Al-Amri. The match would end at 53, but won six more minutes of injury time after a clash between the Saudi goalkeeper and Al-Shahrani, who fell unconscious and had to be replaced, even recovered. The South Americans, however, did not take advantage of the extra time and the zebra walked in Qatar for good.
