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"contents": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unheralded Saudi Arabia notched one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history on Tuesday with a 2-1 win over Lionel Messi's Argentina thanks to a scintillating second-half comeback.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On his fifth and final quest for the only major trophy to elude him, the 35-year-old Messi scored a 10th-minute penalty in a dominant first-half display where he and Lautaro Martinez also had three goals disallowed for offside.</span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1472262\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1244990638.jpg\" alt=\"Lionel Messi of Argentina\" width=\"720\" height=\"480\" /> A dejected Lionel Messi of Argentina reacts during the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 Group C match between Argentina and Saudi Arabia at Lusail Stadium on 22 November 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo: James Williamson - AMA / Getty Images)</p>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But Saudi Arabia, the second-lowest ranked team in the tournament after Ghana, threw caution to the wind at the start of the second half, charging at Argentina’s defence in front of a frenzied 88,012 crowd.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Saleh Al-Shehri squeezed in a low shot in the 48th minute while Salem Al-Dawsari curled in a scorching strike from the edge of the penalty area in the 53rd minute to leave Argentina and Messi looking utterly shell-shocked in the Group C opener.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite plenty of possession after that, Argentina were unable to penetrate Saudi Arabia, who were competing in their sixth World Cup but had never previously won an opening game.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The entire game was played in an extraordinary atmosphere at the Lusail Stadium, with Argentina's traditionally massive and raucous following matched by the thousands of Saudis who had come over the border to cheer on their team.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Our team fulfils our dreams!” and “Where is Messi? We beat him!”, the green-clad Saudis chanted over and over in the Lusail Stadium, on their feet and greeting every clearance from their defence with a deafening roar.</span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1472263\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1443523157-e1669121830213.jpg\" alt=\"Salem Al-Dawsari, Saudi Arabia, Argentina\" width=\"720\" height=\"477\" /> Salem Al-Dawsari of Saudi Arabia celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 Group C match against Argentina at Lusail Stadium on 22 November 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo: Ian MacNicol / Getty Images)</p>\r\n<h4><b>Messi’s dream in doubt</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both teams have Mexico and Poland to come, with Argentina needing an immediate reaction if Messi is to have a realistic chance of matching Diego Maradona’s immortality in his homeland by bringing home the World Cup.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The result revived old question marks over Argentina's defence and broke their amazing 36-match undefeated run. That stopped them from matching the previous international record of 37 games unbeaten held by Italy.</span>\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n<strong>Visit <a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=in_article_link&utm_campaign=homepage\"><em>Daily Maverick's</em> home page</a> for more news, analysis and investigations</strong>\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It also marred Messi’s achievement of becoming the first Argentinian to score in four World Cups on his 20th appearance in the tournament.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Only Maradona has played more games for Argentina at the World Cup, 21 in all.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“This hurts a lot. We were dreaming of starting the World Cup with a win,” said Messi’s strike partner Martinez. “But it'’s happened and now we have to train and think forward.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We lost this game because of our own mistakes, most of all in the second half. There are details that make a difference and we need to correct our mistakes.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It had all looked so different at the start when the marauding Messi nearly scored in the opening seconds, celebrated joyfully after sending Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais the wrong way with his penalty, then had another goal disallowed.</span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1472269\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Qatar-2022-Sausi-Arg5.jpg\" alt=\"Lionel Messi of Argentina competes with Abdulelah Al-Malki of Saudi Arabia\" width=\"720\" height=\"480\" /> Lionel Messi of Argentina competes with Abdulelah Al-Malki of Saudi Arabia during their Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 Group C match at Lusail Stadium on 22 November 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo: Chris Brunskill / Fantasista / Getty Images)</p>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the Saudis, the result buried their dismal history at the start of tournaments, including a 5-0 thrashing by hosts Russia in 2018 and an 8-0 pummelling by Germany in 2002.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Their feat against the twice World Cup winners and current South American champions was all the more remarkable given the departure of their influential captain and midfielder Salman Al Faraj just after halftime, clutching a hamstring.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Argentina's last defeat was by Brazil in the semi-finals of the Copa America in July 2019. They are ranked third, 48 places above Saudi Arabia, by world football’s governing body Fifa.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Argentina’s last defeat in their opening match at a World Cup was against Cameroon in 1990. </span><b>Reuters/DM</b>",
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"description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unheralded Saudi Arabia notched one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history on Tuesday with a 2-1 win over Lionel Messi's Argentina thanks to a scintillating second-half comeback.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On his fifth and final quest for the only major trophy to elude him, the 35-year-old Messi scored a 10th-minute penalty in a dominant first-half display where he and Lautaro Martinez also had three goals disallowed for offside.</span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1472262\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"720\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-1472262\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1244990638.jpg\" alt=\"Lionel Messi of Argentina\" width=\"720\" height=\"480\" /> A dejected Lionel Messi of Argentina reacts during the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 Group C match between Argentina and Saudi Arabia at Lusail Stadium on 22 November 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo: James Williamson - AMA / Getty Images)[/caption]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But Saudi Arabia, the second-lowest ranked team in the tournament after Ghana, threw caution to the wind at the start of the second half, charging at Argentina’s defence in front of a frenzied 88,012 crowd.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Saleh Al-Shehri squeezed in a low shot in the 48th minute while Salem Al-Dawsari curled in a scorching strike from the edge of the penalty area in the 53rd minute to leave Argentina and Messi looking utterly shell-shocked in the Group C opener.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite plenty of possession after that, Argentina were unable to penetrate Saudi Arabia, who were competing in their sixth World Cup but had never previously won an opening game.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The entire game was played in an extraordinary atmosphere at the Lusail Stadium, with Argentina's traditionally massive and raucous following matched by the thousands of Saudis who had come over the border to cheer on their team.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Our team fulfils our dreams!” and “Where is Messi? We beat him!”, the green-clad Saudis chanted over and over in the Lusail Stadium, on their feet and greeting every clearance from their defence with a deafening roar.</span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1472263\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"720\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-1472263\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1443523157-e1669121830213.jpg\" alt=\"Salem Al-Dawsari, Saudi Arabia, Argentina\" width=\"720\" height=\"477\" /> Salem Al-Dawsari of Saudi Arabia celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 Group C match against Argentina at Lusail Stadium on 22 November 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo: Ian MacNicol / Getty Images)[/caption]\r\n<h4><b>Messi’s dream in doubt</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both teams have Mexico and Poland to come, with Argentina needing an immediate reaction if Messi is to have a realistic chance of matching Diego Maradona’s immortality in his homeland by bringing home the World Cup.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The result revived old question marks over Argentina's defence and broke their amazing 36-match undefeated run. That stopped them from matching the previous international record of 37 games unbeaten held by Italy.</span>\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n<strong>Visit <a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=in_article_link&utm_campaign=homepage\"><em>Daily Maverick's</em> home page</a> for more news, analysis and investigations</strong>\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It also marred Messi’s achievement of becoming the first Argentinian to score in four World Cups on his 20th appearance in the tournament.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Only Maradona has played more games for Argentina at the World Cup, 21 in all.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“This hurts a lot. We were dreaming of starting the World Cup with a win,” said Messi’s strike partner Martinez. “But it'’s happened and now we have to train and think forward.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We lost this game because of our own mistakes, most of all in the second half. There are details that make a difference and we need to correct our mistakes.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It had all looked so different at the start when the marauding Messi nearly scored in the opening seconds, celebrated joyfully after sending Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais the wrong way with his penalty, then had another goal disallowed.</span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1472269\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"720\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-1472269\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Qatar-2022-Sausi-Arg5.jpg\" alt=\"Lionel Messi of Argentina competes with Abdulelah Al-Malki of Saudi Arabia\" width=\"720\" height=\"480\" /> Lionel Messi of Argentina competes with Abdulelah Al-Malki of Saudi Arabia during their Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 Group C match at Lusail Stadium on 22 November 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo: Chris Brunskill / Fantasista / Getty Images)[/caption]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the Saudis, the result buried their dismal history at the start of tournaments, including a 5-0 thrashing by hosts Russia in 2018 and an 8-0 pummelling by Germany in 2002.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Their feat against the twice World Cup winners and current South American champions was all the more remarkable given the departure of their influential captain and midfielder Salman Al Faraj just after halftime, clutching a hamstring.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Argentina's last defeat was by Brazil in the semi-finals of the Copa America in July 2019. They are ranked third, 48 places above Saudi Arabia, by world football’s governing body Fifa.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Argentina’s last defeat in their opening match at a World Cup was against Cameroon in 1990. </span><b>Reuters/DM</b>",
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A dejected Lionel Messi of Argentina reacts during the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 Group C match between Argentina and Saudi Arabia at Lusail Stadium on 22 November 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo: James Williamson - AMA / Getty Images)
Salem Al-Dawsari of Saudi Arabia celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 Group C match against Argentina at Lusail Stadium on 22 November 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo: Ian MacNicol / Getty Images)
Lionel Messi of Argentina competes with Abdulelah Al-Malki of Saudi Arabia during their Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 Group C match at Lusail Stadium on 22 November 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo: Chris Brunskill / Fantasista / Getty Images)