Lionel Messi remembered how Argentina turned the tables after their surprising 2-1 defeat against Saudi Arabia in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Messi's side lost their first game of the World Cup in the group stage, before going on to win the trophy.
Argentina's shocking defeat against Saudi Arabia in FIFA World Cup
Argentina locked horns with Saudi Arabia in their opening game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Lionel Messi gave his side the lead after scoring from the penalty spot, but things changed for the worse with Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari scoring against the eventual champions. Despite the defeat, Argentina turned the tables from the next game, Winning every remaining game to win the World Cup.
In an interview with Luzu TV, Lionel Messi remembered how he and his Argentina teammates turned the fortunes after the shocking loss against Saudi Arabia. He said:
"After the loss against Saudi Arabia, we had a day off and no one stayed in the camp; everyone went off with their families, and I stayed behind—I didn’t feel like doing anything, and neither did Rodri. We gradually started gathering again and began talking about what had happened, about the match, about how things had gone, about our loss in that game, and about how it all unfolded after 36 or 37 matches without a defeat—how the match played out, because in the first half we had plenty of chances to wrap it up 3-0, and yet we ended up losing."
He added:
"And after all that conversation, we started drawing strength from it; we became convinced and began looking at the positive aspects of the defeat. I remember that in our group chat on WhatsApp, I sent messages at night after dinner, talking about what we’d been through and what lay ahead for us."
Argentina's 2022 FIFA World Cup triumph
The rest remains history, as Lionel Messi led Argentina to their third World Cup after defeating France in a thrilling final. Notably, Messi lifted the World Cup at Lusail Stadium in Qatar, where Argentina faced defeat against Saudi Arabia.
The iconic forward also secured his second Golden Ball in the tournament, after his first one in the 2014 World Cup. Argentina had reached the final in the edition, but faced 1-0 defeat against Germany during extra time.