Messi: 'No excuses' for stunning World Cup upset

Lionel Messi told his Argentina teammates determination are "no excuses" for their daze decision to Saudi Arabia connected Tuesday.

Argentina slipped to a 2-1 nonaccomplishment astatine Lusail Stadium contempt starring successful the archetypal fractional done Messi's 10th-minute penalty.

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The effect volition spell down arsenic 1 of the top upsets successful the past of the World Cup, but Messi insisted determination is simply a mode backmost for his squad -- 1 of the pre-tournament favourites -- if they tin woody with the setback.

Asked however his teammates were feeling aft the game, Messi said: "The truth? Dead. It's a precise hard stroke due to the fact that we did not expect to commencement successful this way.''

"We expected to get the 3 points that would person fixed america calmness," Messi said. "Things hap for a reason. We person to hole for what is coming, we person to win, and it depends connected us.

"There are nary excuses. We are going to beryllium much agreed than ever. This radical is strong, and we person shown it. It is simply a concern that we haven't gone done successful a agelong time. Now we person to amusement that this is simply a existent group.

"It's a achy nonaccomplishment but we person to proceed to spot ourselves," helium said. "We indispensable crook the leafage and determination on. We person to analyse what went wrong. Focus connected the positives and crook our attraction to the crippled against Mexico."

Saudi Arabia manager Herve Renard suggested afterwards that Argentina -- 48 places supra his squad successful the satellite rankings -- mightiness person lacked motivation.

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Messi, however, insisted they had not taken their opponents lightly and told fans who person travelled to Qatar successful their thousands that they volition crook their World Cup run astir erstwhile they look Mexico and Poland.

"My connection to the supporters is to person faith," Messi added. "We won't permission them stranded.

"We knew that Saudi Arabia is simply a squad with bully players, that they determination the shot good and that they propulsion the [defensive] enactment a lot. We worked connected it, but we rushed a bit. We person to spell backmost to the basal of who we are. We person to deliberation astir what's next."

Argentina arrived successful Qatar arsenic the reigning Copa America champions and connected the backmost of a 36-match unbeaten tally -- they would person equalled Italy arsenic the nationalist squad with the longest unbeaten tally successful past by avoiding decision connected Tuesday.

Coach Lionel Scaloni admitted afterward that the decision was "difficult to absorb" but issued a committedness that his squad would inactive suffice from Group C.

"They scored 2 goals successful their lone 2 shots connected goal," Scaloni said.

"We person to get up. It's a bittersweet time today, but we request to person our heads up and continue. We are hurt, but we request to crook things astir and triumph our adjacent games.

"We proceed to judge the aforesaid arsenic we did before. The World Cup has this, you tin beryllium infinitely superior, and things don't spell your way.

"It's ne'er bully to lose. We came into the World Cup successful the champion imaginable way, connected a bully run. We knew that it would yet end.

"Fortunately, we person 2 radical games, and we are going to get it done."