The Argentines suffered their first defeat in their last 37 matches, failing to match Italy’s unbeaten record.
Lionel Messi
(Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images)
The Argentina national football team lost 1:2 to Saudi Arabia in the first round match of the group stage of the World Cup in Qatar.
The Argentines scored Lionel Messi (10th minute, from the penalty spot). As part of the Saudis, goals were scored by Saleh Al-Shehri (48) and Salem Al-Dawsari (53).
put into this game repeated several records. For him it is the fifth World Cup (the same for Antonio Carbajal, Rafael Marquez and Lothar Matthäus) and the 21st match of the Argentine national team at the World Cup (the same for Diego Maradona). Also, the Argentine they became the fifth player to score in four different world championships. Previously it was possible for the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, the Brazilian Pele, as well as the Germans Miroslav Klose and Uwe Seeler.
In the first half the Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic canceled three goals for Argentina. Twice the victim of offside was Lautaro Martinez, once – Messi.
In total, the Argentine players went offside seven times in the first half of the match and ten times in the entire match. The last team to have more offsides in a World Cup match is the Netherlands national team: the Dutch were offside 13 times in the quarter-final match with Costa Rica in 2014. But that game ended in a penalty shoot-out, with the Argentinians who reached seven in the first half.
The Argentines have lost only the second time in a World Cup match, leading after the first half. It happened for the first time in the 1930 World Cup final against Uruguay.
Saudi Arabia are the first team in their last 24 games to score more goals against Argentina. The Argentines’ unbeaten streak stopped at 36 games, they failed to repeat the record of the Italian national team (37 games without defeat between September 2018 and October 2021). The last time the Argentines lost to Brazil in July 2019 (0:2).
The last three teams to beat Argentina at the World Cup have won the World Cup (Germany in 2014 and France in 2018) or reached the final (Croatia in 2018).
RBC Sports carried Argentina – Saudi Arabia match online broadcast.
On Tuesday, in another match in Group C, the national teams of Poland and Mexico will play (start – 19:00 Moscow time).
In the second round, on November 26, the matches Poland – Saudi Arabia and Argentina – Mexico will be held.
