Saudi Arabia shock Messi’s Argentina at World Cup
DOHA: Saudi Arabia stunned Lionel Messi’s Argentina on Tuesday, beating the two-time winners 2-1 in one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. Salem Al-Dawsari hit a stunning winner to sink the red-hot favorites, bringing the South American side’s 36-match unbeaten run to a shuddering halt. The win was fully deserved after Saudi Arabia came from behind after Saleh Al-Shehri canceled out an early Lionel Messi penalty. Playing a risky high defensive line, the athletic Saudis rode their luck in the first half when three times Argentina had the ball in the net only to be denied by an offside call. But in a chaotic start to the second half, the Saudis swarmed all over Lionel Scaloni’s team and scored twice as the Arab nation beat the South Americans for the first time in five attempts. In a first half dominated by Argentina, it seemed only a matter of time before Saudi Arabia’s risky defensive tactics would cost them. That condensed the game into a sliver of green turf around the halfway line as the Asian side happily allowed Argentina’s back four to pass the ball among themselves. It seemed Saudi Arabia were facing a long afternoon after VAR intervened to award a penalty when Saud Abdulhamid wrestled Leandro Paredes to the ground in the box at a corner. Messi waited for goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais to dive to his left before cooly rolling the ball into the opposite corner. But if the Saudis felt aggrieved at the technology, it would later help keep them in the game.
