The 7-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi’s Argentina suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of a rampant Saudi Arabian side.
The 51st ranked side registered the first massive upset of the FIFA world cup by beating Argentina 2-1.
It looked like an easy win for the South-American giants when Lionel Messi scored a brilliant penalty past the Saudi Arabian goalkeeper M. Al Owais. The Argentinian team had 3 goals disallowed by the “VAR” within 35 minutes.
Scaloni’s side had the lead till the end of the first half. The sheer brilliance of H. Renard’s counter-attacking football play completely changed the course of the match.
Saudi Arabia equalized through Saleh Alshehri in the 48th minute of the match with Salem Aldawsari banging a curler past the “mentality monster” Emiliano Martínez. The physicality and pace of the Saudi Arabian players were too much for the Argentinian midfield.
Saudi Arabian defenders latched on to Lionel Messi and Lautaro Martinez. Angel di Maria made several runs through the right side but couldn’t finish the job.
The memorable upset brings an end to the 36-match unbeaten run of the Argentinian football team. The loss raises questions about the midfield and defense of Argentina for allowing too much space and time to the opposition strikers. However, this victory truly shows why “The Beautiful Game” is loved so passionately
Written By: Ibtisam Raashed Abbasi
ibtisamrashed68@gmail.com
