A bold and brilliant Saudi Arabia pulled off one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history when they stunned two-time winners Argentina in a stunning Group C opener in Lucille.
Ranked 51st in the world, Saudi Arabia could have been dusted off in the first half as Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot before three of Argentina’s goals were ruled out for offside.
But the Green Falcons turned the game on its head in a stunning 10-minute spell after half-time, with Saleh Al Shahri equalizing with a low effort and Salem Al Dosari firing them ahead to cause chaos in the stands.
After showing their ruthlessness at one end, they produced an uneventful display at the other, keeping an impressive Argentina frontline at bay to claim just their fourth World Cup win and blow the group wide open.
Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina came into the tournament among the favorites on the back of a 36-game unbeaten run, which included winning the 2021 Copa America.
Now they have everything to keep alive their hopes of a first world victory since 1986 and give Messi a fitting end to what is likely to be his World Cup swansong.
On Saturday, they will face Mexico while Saudi Arabia will face Poland.
One of the biggest shocks of the World Cup
Well who saw this coming?
Argentina were among the elite teams heading to Qatar – as many had pointed out, with a star-studded backline as strong as they are ruthless in attack.
He was in chaos in Russia 2018, cutting managers before the event and starting XI during it before going out in the last 16.
But under Scaloni they seriously assembled their cast. They don’t concede too much and score a lot – they kept five clean sheets and netted 16 times in five games before the World Cup – and haven’t tasted defeat since losing to Brazil in the 2019 Copa America final. was tasted
That run is now over and in glorious, humbling fashion.
Unlike their opponents, few saw Saudi Arabia doing damage in this tournament. Out of 32 countries in attendance, only Ghana ranks lower. He had three victories before that, but none of them were big.
At full-time, in wild scenes, their players took to the field, offering prayers, hugs and shouts to the heavens as the bench made their way onto the pitch to join them, leaving behind the dejected Argentine players.
Luck rode, especially during the first half when the writing was on the wall early on through Messi’s penalty – awarded after Leandro Paredes was wrestled to the turf. If Messi or Lautaro Martinez had timed their attacking runs better, it could have been 4-0 at the break.
After staying competitive, Saudi Arabia took advantage of their moments in brilliant fashion.
Al-Shahri found the bottom corner of Amy Martinez’s net, Salim Al-Dosari found the top – both ruthless finishes, each a hammer blow for Argentina that sent them crashing to the ground.
They reached Saudi Arabia and threatened in a rapidly desperate search for a way back, but at every opportunity a man in green extended a limb to deal with it or threw in a body to stop it.
Keeper Mohammed Al Owais plucked balls out of the air and dropped shots into his path. While he was absent, Abdullah Al-Amiri was on hand to head a goal-bound effort off the line.
In the end eight minutes were added and about 14 were played, most of which were in Saudi Arabia’s half and were accompanied by screams of excitement and anxiety from the crowd.
The final whistle confirmed the unbelievable and sent hero Renard’s side into delirium. They are the first non-European team to beat Argentina at the World Cup since Cameroon in 1990.
If Argentina have anything to cling to, it’s that they reached the final 42 years ago after that opening defeat. If you’re going to lose group games, it’s often best to do so first, giving yourself games to recover from.
However, they now suffer the biggest shocks in World Cup history, with England losing to the USA in 1950 and West Germany losing to Algeria in 1982.
