Lionel Messi’s quest for an elusive World Cup title got off to a shocking start on Tuesday as powerhouse Argentina fell 2-1 to Saudi Arabia in one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history.
“Prior to the match, we were anointed as favorites,” said Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni. “But this sort of stuff can happen in a World Cup.”
Messi opened the scoring with a penalty kick in the tenth minute as Argentina appeared poised to run away with this one and extend their 36-match unbeaten streak. Instead, the Saudis buckled down defensively while scoring two goals in a five-minute span during the second half to leave the soccer world in disbelief.