Saudi Arabia beats Argentina in a stunning World Cup upset
The Saudi national team achieved a historic victory over Argentina in the biggest surprise of the World Cup, 2-1, in the match that brought them together at Lusail Stadium, in the first round of the group stage of the Qatar World Cup 2022.
The Saudi national team turned its deficit with a goal in the first half into a two-goal lead at the start of the second half, as Argentine star Lionel Messi scored in the 10th minute from a penalty kick. Saleh Al-Shehri equalized in the 48th minute, and then Salem Al-Dosari added the second goal in the 53rd minute of the second half.
The Saudi national team is the first Asian team to score two goals against Argentina in one historical match.
Lionel Messi also accomplished a remarkable feat with his team, scoring his first Tango goal against the Saudi national team, where Messi is considered the first player to score in 4 copies of the World Cup with Argentina (2006, 2014, 2018, 2022), surpassing Batistuta (1994, 1998, 2002) and Maradona (1982, 1986, 1994).
The Saudi national team lost to Argentina in the 1992 Confederations Cup, with a score of three goals to one, and lost in the 1988 Australian Gold Cup as well, to determine the third-place finisher with a clean double, while the two teams tied in the 1988 Australian Gold Cup positively 2-2. The last confrontation was a friendly match in 2012, ending in a goalless draw.
