The Green Falcons ended Argentina's 36-game winning run. By defeating the world's third-ranked team, Saudi Arabia, currently ranked at no. 51, made history. In the 10th minute, Argentina took a 1-0 lead thanks to a casual penalty kick from sixth-time World Cup participant Lionel Messi.
Also Read: Are Argentina out of FIFA World Cup 2022?
The Saudi Arabian goal by Saleh Al-Shehri in the second half brought the score at 1-1. The Saudis took the lead soon, thanks to a goal by Salem Al-Dawsari in the 53rd minute. The Saudi defence was never breached by Argentina for the remainder of the match. Saudi goalie Mohammed Al-Owais, who prevented the star-studded Argentina team from scoring following the penalty, was the game's most valuable player.
Ali Al-Bulayhi confronted Messi shortly after Al-Dawsari’s stunning goal, gave him a slap on the back and had a talk with the Argentine legend. Messi, who seemed perplexed during the entire conversation, finally began laughing and walked away from him.
Al-Bulayhi was later asked by a reporter about what the conversation was about. The footballer replied: "I told him: you will not win, you will not win!"
Argentina is still the betting favourite to win the FIFA World Cup in 2022, despite their 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia. Even though Saudi Arabia's victory is astounding, it has little impact on Argentina's chances of taking the title.
Fans of Argentina can still harbour optimism because they recall how the reigning champions fell to Cameroon in their opening game in 1990. Diego Maradona's Argentina reached the final that year.
