The Green Falcons shock La Albiceleste in their opening game
The Green Falcons shock La Albiceleste in their opening game
The first major upset in the 2022 FIFA World Cup happened when Argentina lost 1-2 to Saudi Arabia. Despite having half as much possession and 1/5th of the total shot attempts, the Asians were hard working off the ball and caught the South Americans on the break regularly. Numbers can be deceptive.
Captain Lionel Messi gave the South Americans the lead in the 10th minute through a penalty after Leandro Parades was fouled in the process. La Albiceleste had at least two goals disallowed due to close but correct offside calls in the first period.
The Saudis equalized through Saleh Al Shehri in the 48th minute, taking advantage of the lapse of concentration among the Argentine defenders. Five minutes later, Salem Al Dawsari (who made 74 sprints this game) scored an early Goal of the Tournament contender to stun the crowd and give the Green Falcons an unlikely lead through an exquisite touch and a stunning strike from the edge of the box. Saudi Arabia hung on till the end to record a famous victory against one of the tournament favourites.
Having been stunned by the Saudis, Argentina will look to shake this defeat off when they face Mexico next. Meanwhile, the Green Falcons will certainly fancy their chances against Robert Lewandowski's Poland in their next match.
The first major upset in the 2022 FIFA World Cup happened when Argentina lost 1-2 to Saudi Arabia. Despite having half as much possession and 1/5th of the total shot attempts, the Asians were hard working off the ball and caught the South Americans on the break regularly. Numbers can be deceptive.
Captain Lionel Messi gave the South Americans the lead in the 10th minute through a penalty after Leandro Parades was fouled in the process. La Albiceleste had at least two goals disallowed due to close but correct offside calls in the first period.
The Saudis equalized through Saleh Al Shehri in the 48th minute, taking advantage of the lapse of concentration among the Argentine defenders. Five minutes later, Salem Al Dawsari (who made 74 sprints this game) scored an early Goal of the Tournament contender to stun the crowd and give the Green Falcons an unlikely lead through an exquisite touch and a stunning strike from the edge of the box. Saudi Arabia hung on till the end to record a famous victory against one of the tournament favourites.
Having been stunned by the Saudis, Argentina will look to shake this defeat off when they face Mexico next. Meanwhile, the Green Falcons will certainly fancy their chances against Robert Lewandowski's Poland in their next match.