Argentina lost shockingly to Saudi Arabia 2-1 at the Lusail Stadium in their opening World Cup match in Qatar.
Messi’s penalty from the first half was neutralized in the 48th and 53rd minutes by Saleh Alsheri and Salem Aldwalsari.
The first half saw VAR rule out goals from Messi and two Lautaro Martinez attempts, but Saudi Arabia persevered and scored twice in the space of five minutes to grab the lead against the Argentines.
In the 48th minute, Alsheri defeated Emiliano Martinez to tie the score and energize the stadium’s crowd.
Adroitly beating Martinez with a curling shot, Aldwalsari hit the corner of the net five minutes later, sending shivers down the spine of the Argentina players.
During the final minutes of the game, Messi and his teammates made an effort to draw even, but Mohammed Alowais was strong in goal for Saudi Arabia as they hung on to their narrow lead to pull off the tournament’s first upset.
Argentina must now defeat Mexico and Poland in their next two matches to move to the competition’s second round as a result of the loss.
