Saudis pull off huge upset
Rank outsiders leave Argentina facing must-win matches in week one of cup
Lionel Messi stood with his hands on his hips near the centre circle, looking stonefaced as Saudi Arabia’s jubilant players ran in all directions around him after pulling off one of the biggest World Cup upsets ever against Argentina.
The South American champions and one of the tournament favourites slumped to a 2-1 loss yesterday against the second lowest-ranked team at the World Cup in a deflating start to Messi’s quest to win the one major title that has eluded him.
Asked how he felt after a painful start to his record fifth World Cup for Argentina, Messi said: “The truth? Dead. It’s a very hard blow because we did not expect to start in this way.”
Saudi Arabia’s comeback joins the list of other major World Cup upsets: Cameroon’s 1-0 win over an Argentina team led by Diego Maradona in the opening game of the 1990 World Cup; Senegal’s 1-0 victory over defending champions France in the 2002 tournament opener; or the United States beating England by the same score in 1950.
“We know the World Cup is this way,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. “Sometimes you can steamroll the opponents and, in a couple of plays, you are losing.”
That summed up the pattern of a match that started with Messi giving Argentina the lead, calmly converting a penalty in the 10th minute for his 92nd international goal. It had all the makings of a routine win for the defending Copa America champions, who were ona 36-match unbeaten run — one short of the record in international football.
Didn’t turn out that way.
Goals by Saleh Alshehri and Salem Aldawsari in a five-minute span early in the second half gave the Saudis a landmark result in the first World Cup staged in the Middle East. Their previous biggest win was 1-0 over Belgium at the 1994 World Cup, secured by a storied individual goal by Saeed Al-owairan.
“All the stars aligned for us,” Saudi Arabia coach Herve Renard said. “We made history for Saudi football.”
The 35-year-old Messi, playing in his fifth — and likely his final — World Cup for Argentina, scratched the side of his head and shook hands with a Saudi coaching staff member after the final whistle.
He walked toward the tunnel with a group of other Argentina players and looked despondent, an all-toofamiliar scene for the seven-time world player of the year who has yet to win soccer’s ultimate prize.
“We are facing two finals now,” said Argentina striker Lautaro Martinez, looking ahead of remaining group matches against Mexico and Poland. “We screwed it up in the second half.”
The unlikely victory by a team made up entirely of Saudi-based players was sealed by a somersault by Aldawsari, who brought down a high ball just inside the penalty area, spun his way past Nahuel Molina with the help of a ricochet, dribbled past
Leandro Paredes and drove a powerful shot to the far corner in the 53rd.
A stunned Messi watched as Saudi Arabia’s green-clad fans, who had come over the Qatari border in their thousands, celebrated in disbelief in the stands. Saudi Arabia’s substitutes swarmed onto the field to congratulate Aldawsari, who sank to his knees after his post-goal acrobatics.
“It’s one for the history books,” Renard said.
● France showed they can cope without their star striker at the World Cup.
Kylian Mbappe scored one and set up the second of Olivier Giroud’s two goals to help the defending champions beat Australia 4-1 yesterday.
Giroud equalled Thierry Henry’s national record of 51 goals with a header from Mbappe’s cross in the 71st minute. Giroud, who failed to score at the last World Cup but did find the net at the 2014 tournament, can break Henry’s record when France face Denmark on Sunday.
Moments before that strike, Mbappe headed in Ousmane Dembele’s cross from the right to start this World Cup as he finished the last — with a goal.
He knelt with one hand behind his back and his finger on his forehead in a new celebration.
Craig Goodwin gave Australia the lead when he turned in winger Mathew Leckie’s cross in the ninth minute. France midfielder Adrien Rabiot equalised with a powerful header in the 27th and set up Giroud’s first goal shortly after.
France were playing without the injured Karim Benzema, who was ruled out of the World Cup last week.
The Socceroos were pumped up and the green-and-gold Aussie fans were loving it.
They even mocked Mbappe with
chants of “Who are ya? Who are ya?” after he lost the ball dribbling down the left.
That’s as good as it got for them. Theo Hernandez curled in a cross for Rabiot to score his first World Cup goal — four years after refusing to go on France’s standby list in case of injuries. He even emailed France coach Didier Deschamps to be taken off the list and was dropped from the national team for two years.
It’s been some comeback for Rabiot.
He’s now leading a midfield missing the injured Paul Pogba and N’golo Kante — France’s engine room the 2018 World Cup.
● Robert Lewandowski’s secondhalf penalty attempt was saved by Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, leaving Poland to settle for a 0-0 draw yesterday.
Poland’s all-time leading scorer with 76 goals remains without one at the World Cup.
Lewandowski was awarded the penalty following a VAR review after Hector Moreno got hold of his shirt and pulled him down. Ochoa, playing in his fifth World Cup, came up yelling in celebration after his stop, sending the crowd into chants of “Memo!”
While Mexico dominated possession, Poland goalkeeper
Wojciech Szczesny turned away all three of El Tri’s shots on goal.
● Tunisia held European Championship semifinalists
Denmark to a 0-0 draw, three hours after Saudi Arabia beat Argentina in a shocking upset.
“It’s amazing what (Saudi Arabia) did,” Tunisia defender Montassar Talbi said.
“We watched a bit of the game in the dressing room. We saw the results. It gave us maybe a little power. We are proud of them. For the Arab countries, too.”
Before a stadium filled almost entirely with Tunisia’s red-clad supporters, midfielder A¨ıssa La¨ıdouni set the tone in the very first minute when he stripped emblematic Denmark playmaker Christian Eriksen of the ball with an aggressive sliding tackle — then stood up and pumped his arms menacingly, gesturing to the crowd to get even more fired up.
“I’m always proud to represent Tunisia and we always go on the pitch 100 committed,” La¨ıdouni said through a translator.
Tunisia likely deserved more but an expert save shortly before halftime by goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel helped Denmark preserve the draw.