Anything can happen in the FIFA World Cup. But hey, don’t take our word for it; just tune in and watch for yourself, as Lionel Messi’s Argentina just suffered one of its toughest losses ever, dropping their debut vs. Saudi Arabia.
The Albiceleste saw three nearly legit goals overturned due to offside. Still, they dominated almost at will during the first 45 minutes. Then, the second half brought mayhem for Lionel Scaloni’s side, which saw it’s advantage disappear right before their eyes.
Saudi Arabia scored a couple of quick goals to seal the win. It went all downhill for the South Americans since there, as they couldn’t get past their rocky, pesky defense, and frustration continued to pile up.
Qatar 2022: Worldwide Media Reacts To Argentina’s Shocking Loss To Saudi Arabia
Argentina were riding a 36-game unbeaten streak, just shy of Italy’s all-time record. Needless to say, watching that streak come to an end in their World Cup debut vs. Saudi Arabia was a bit of a shocker.
World-class slide by Argentina. As – Spain
Argentina gets tangled up in Saudi Arabia’s net and suffers historical upset in Qatar. Clarín – Argentina
Unbeliavable: Argentina suffers unforgettable blow in debut. ESPN – Argentina
Argentina collapses, Saudi Arabia comes back and beats Messi in the debut. La Gazzetta dello Sport – Italy
Incredible loss to Saudi Arabia. Argentina disappoints in a catastrophic debut. Marca – Spain
A World-Class Blow: The national team loses to Saudi Arabia in its Qatar 2022 debut. They were winning with a PK goal by Messi, got 3 goals overturned and lost. Incredible – Olé – Argentina
Sports Illustrated
The Guardian
That’s why the biggest media outlets in Argentina and the world were ruthless to Lionel Scaloni’s side. From ‘shocking’ to ‘disaster,’ media portals didn’t mince their words when discussing the tough loss.
Of course, it’s only one game, and Saudi Arabia also deserve plenty of credit for making Messi uncomfortable and containing him in the second half of the game. But Argentina’s margin for error is now pretty close to zero.
The Albiceleste will now have to be near perfect in their clashes vs. Mexico and Poland, which will be easier said than done considering how strong both squads are. Evidently, this was a match they couldn’t afford to lose.
Now, they’ll just have to regroup, learn from their mistakes, and try and get better for Saturday’s clash vs. Gerardo Martino’s team. But if anyone can turn things around, that’s definitely Lionel Messi.
