Lionel Messi's Argentina suffered 1 of the World Cup's top shocks arsenic Saudi Arabia came from down to triumph 2-1 astatine Lusail Stadium connected Tuesday successful beforehand of a 88,012 crowd.
Messi gave Argentina, 1 of the favourites to triumph the tournament, a 10th-minute pb from the punishment spot with a coolly taken spot kick.
But 2 goals aboriginal successful the second-half, including an outstanding onslaught from Salem Al-Dawsari, turned the crippled connected its caput and near the Albiceleste with small borderline for mistake against Mexico and Poland successful their different Group C fixtures.
Argentina came into the crippled overwhelmingly expected to triumph and were connected people to lucifer Italy's grounds 37-match unbeaten tally erstwhile they went up aboriginal connected acknowledgment to Messi's penalty, which came astir pursuing a VAR cheque for pushing and shoving successful the box.
Messi, playing successful his 5th World Cup, bushed Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais connected a breakaway but that extremity and 2 others by Lautaro Martinez were ruled offside arsenic Saudi Arabia's precocious antiaircraft enactment held firm.
Saleh Al-Shehri squeezed successful a debased changeable successful the 48th infinitesimal portion Al-Dawsari curled successful a scorching onslaught from the borderline of the punishment country successful the 53rd infinitesimal to permission Argentina looking connected successful disbelief.
Despite plentifulness of possession aft that, Argentina were incapable to interruption down Saudi Arabia, who were competing successful their sixth World Cup but had ne'er antecedently won an opening game.
Al-Owais saved good astatine point-blank scope to contradict Argentina erstwhile Lisandro Martinez's changeable deflected disconnected Nicolas Tagliafico but Lionel Scaloni's side, who person 4 players older than 34 successful their starting XI, looked bushed successful the last 30 minutes.
Saudi Arabia fans, meanwhile, chanted "Where is Messi? We bushed him!" arsenic they celebrated their daze lead.
As Saudi Arabia, who astatine 51st are the second-lowest ranked squad successful the tournament, closed successful connected a celebrated victory, the crippled was delayed aft a nasty collision betwixt Al-Owais and Yasir Al Shahrani that resulted successful the defender leaving the transportation connected a stretcher.
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