ARGENTINA 1-2 SAUDI ARABIA: SALEM AL-DAWSARI SCORES STUNNER AS PRE-TOURNAMENT FAVOURITES ARE SHOCKED
Saudi Arabia produced a monumental World Cup upset by launching
an extraordinary second half comeback to beat one of the pre-
tournament favourites Argentina 2-1 at a pulsating Lusail Stadium.
The Asian side, ranked 51st in the world, recorded just their fourth-
ever tournament victory – and their second since 1994 – to end a 36-
match unbeaten run from a star-studded Argentinian side led by
Lionel Messi.
Messi’s bid to win international football’s biggest prize in his fifth
and final appearance got off to the perfect start when he rolled in a
penalty after just 10 minutes.
Argentina dominated the first half and had three goals disallowed, but
they were left stunned by Saudi Arabia’s improvement after the break.
Superb finishes from Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari in the
space of four minutes turned the game on its head, and the Saudis
defended bravely to see out one of the biggest results in their history.
Herve Renard’s side are now in a strong position to reach the
knockout stages for the first time since in 28 years, with games
against Group C rivals Poland and Mexico still to come.
All eyes were on Messi ahead of what the man himself admitted will
be his final World Cup and, in his own words, the “last chance to
make my dream a reality””.
It didn’t take him long to make his presence felt, as the 35-year-old
had a dangerous shot well saved by Mohammed Al Owais inside two
minutes.
The breakthrough soon arrived when referee Slavko Vincic awarded
Argentina a penalty following a VAR review, adjudging Leandro
Paredes to have been illegally wrestled to the ground at a corner.
Messi stepped up, waited for the keeper to move, and rolled a
typically calm spot kick into the bottom corner to open his account in
Qatar.
The goal saw him become the first Argentinian to score in four
different World Cups, overtaking Gabriel Batistuta and Diego
Maradona’s record of finding the net in three.
Saudi Arabia coach Renard lined his team up with a very high
defensive line, and they were repeatedly inches away from being
punished as Argentina had three first-half goals ruled out for offside.
First Messi raced onto a long ball and slotted home, before Lautaro
Martinez finished well twice, but on all three occasions the offside
flag denied Argentina a goal that would’ve doubled their lead.
The Saudis hung on until half time with a one-goal deficit, but they
suffered a blow when captain Salman Al-Faraj looked devastated as
he was forced off with injury.
Saudi Arabia were a team transformed in the second half and netted a
superb equaliser in the 49th minute when Al-Shehri held off Cristian
Romero and guided a shot into the far corner to score with his team’s
first effort of the game.
Just four minutes later, they had completed the comeback. Al-Dawsari
plucked the ball out of the air, cut inside two defenders and whipped a
stunning shot into the far top corner.
It was just the kind of moment of individual brilliance that Argentina
needed to get back into the game, but the South Americans couldn’t
find a way through a resilient and aggressive Saudi defence.
Al Owais made some good saves, denying Nicolas Tagliafico from
close range and holding tame headers from Messi and substitute
Julian Alvarez.
The pressure grew as eight minutes of stoppage time began, but it was
disrupted by a nasty head injury to Yasir Al Shahrani, who needed to
be replaced but gave a thumbs up to the crowd to show he was OK.
There were scenes of elation at the final whistle, as Saudi Arabia saw
out a deserved win thanks to a wonderful second half performance.