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Lionel Messi's Argentina were at the receiving end of a major upset after the Albiceleste were condemned to a shock 2-1 loss at the hands of Saudi Arabia in Qatar on Tuesday, November 22. After taking the lead courtesy of a penalty converted by Messi, Argentina were cruising to the win and found the net three times!
But all three goals were rightly ruled out for an offside, which then turned the tide on Argentina as they went on to lose control of the match. In the second half, goals from Saleh Al Shehri and Salem Al Dawsari sealed a famous win soon after with a sumptuous strike from the edge of the penalty area.
Here, we take a look at the five points that led to Argentina's loss!
Wrong team selection
The South American giants are coached by Lionel Scaloni, who chose to play the more experienced but slower Nicolas Otamendi. The selection might have been made keeping in mind the opposition, who the Argentineans clearly underestimated. A better option would have been Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez, who has been solid for his team in the Premier League. Despite having lesser experience than Otamendi at a FIFA tournament, he would have been a more solid option.
Messi still breaking records
The loss will be a big blow to Messi, and his goal will surely be no consolation for him. But the 35-year-old's goal saw him become the fifth player to score at four different World Cup tournaments — 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022 — after Brazil's Pele, Germany's Uwe Seeler and Miroslav Klose, and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo.
Old players a problem
Angel di Maria on one wing and Messi on the other — but the duo who are usually filled with energy seemed off the pace in search of the one goal that would have given them a point. In fact, Argentina became the first team in World Cup history to have four players aged 34+ in their starting XI — Messi, Otamendi, Di Maria and Papu Gomez.
Saudi Arabia parking the bus paid off
The idea of parking the bus is when all the defenders of a particular team sit behind the ball in order to prevent the opposition from scoring. And this is exactly what the middle eastern side did when they took the lead. Their goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais made many crucial saves to keep the Argentineans at bay, but the most crucial of them all was a goalline clearance from Abdulelah Al Amri was the telling moment that proved why the Saudis took the victory.
