Argentina – Saudi Arabia 2-1- Played on 11/22/ 2022
Saudi Arabia gave the surprise at the start of the Qatar 2022 World Cup after beating Argentina 1-2 at the Lusail Stadium, a score that came back after being down just 10 minutes after starting the game with a goal from the Argentine 10, Lionel Messi.
Leo masterfully and determinedly collected the penalty at minute 10 to hang a 1-0 lead that seemed like the prologue to a comfortable victory by the Albiceleste, but they were surprised with three goals canceled due to an advanced position .
Messi scored the double at 22′ with a cross shot in a lethal counterattack, but it had to be erased due to offside and after a VAR review . Almost five minutes later, Lautaro Martínez scored with a chopped and crossed shot, but he also had to turn off his celebration after review.
It was Lautaro himself who scored again with the assistance of Messi and after feinting the Saudi Arab goalkeeper, but whose definition at grass level and from the left had to be removed from the board, once again due to an advanced position. A hat-trick of regrets by the Albiceleste.
With a lead of just one goal towards the break, in the second half it seemed that Argentina came out with a transcontinental schedule, asleep and surprised by a Saudi Arabia that leveled the score at 48′ with a goal from Saleh Alshehri after a long stroke that he defined crossed after winning the race in the brand to Cristian Romero.
Salem Aldawsari , at 53′, made it 1-2 after a whiplash from the angle inside the area after shaking off the mark of four Argentine players in a move that left not only Argentina frozen , but the entire football world within Qatar 2022 .
It was not all goals in the Argentine debacle, the presence of goalkeeper Mohammed Alowais
Desperation began to take its toll on the team led by Messi, exorbitant and still not very credulous about what was happening in Lusail , they tried more desperately than to win the tie, even Messi looked for the goal from a set piece but he could not make it ball will go down to embed itself in the nets.
Messi had a new opportunity with a header shot with less than 10 minutes to go and which was covered by goalkeeper Alowais, leaning back and with two hands to control the ball, cooling the Argentines with the Arab team tucked back to protect the advantage until hearing the whistle final, until seeing how Alamri took a shot over the goal line with his head .
On compensation time, Alowais took his teammate and defender Yasser Alshahrani at the start in search of a ball , who fell impressively knocked out, which immediately ignited the alerts to receive the first attention and come out of substitution.
With this result, Saudi Arabia added three points to lead, in an incredible way, Group C of the Qatar 2022 World Cup and leave Argentina in the background after the first game of both in the fair. Mexico and Poland clashed later in the activity of this sector.
