(Associated Press)
LUSAIL, Qatar — Saudi Arabia scored one of the biggest World Cup upsets ever by beating Lionel Messi’s Argentina 2-1 on Tuesday.
Messi’s quest to win the one major title to elude him got off to a shocking start and brought back memories of Cameroon’s 1-0 win over an Argentina team led by Diego Maradona in the opening game of the 1990 World Cup.
Goals by Saleh Alshehri and Salem Aldawsari in a five-minute span in the second half gave the Saudis the win.
Argentina took an early lead with a 10th-minute penalty by Messi.
The Argentina loss rivals other World Cup upsets like Senegal’s 1-0 win over titleholder France 1-0 in the 2002 tournament opener and the United States’ beating England by the same score in 1950.
Argentina’s 36-match unbeaten run ended at the Lusail Stadium in Messi’s fifth — and likely last — World Cup.
The Paris Saint-Germain star shook hands with a Saudi coaching staff member after the final whistle and stood with his hands on his hips near the center circle, an all-too-familiar scene for one of the best players ever who is yet to win the biggest prize in soccer.
The unlikely victory was sealed by a somersault by Aldawsari, who brought down a high ball just inside the penalty area, turned one defender, jinked past another and drove a powerful shot past goalkeeper Emi Martinez, who got a hand on the ball but couldn’t keep out of the net in the 53rd.