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Greg Evans
Nov 22, 2022
Saudi Arabia train ahead of World Cup opener against Argentina
content.jwplatform.com
The first big shock of the 2022 World Cup has happened as Saudi Arabia have beaten Lionel Messi's Argentina 2-1 in a remarkable game in Qatar.
Argentina took an early lead after Lionel Messi scored a penalty and the South Americans were unlucky not to be 4 goals up by half-time after seeing four goals ruled out for offside.
Yet the Green Falcons, managed by cult figure Herve Renard, rallied and scored through Saleh Al-Shehri and a fantastic effort from Salem Al-Dawsari saw them take the lead just before the hour mark.
It was then backs-against-the-wall stuff from the Saudis who managed to survive an onslaught of attacks from the Argentinian's who perhaps in the grand scheme of things didn't deserve anything from the match.
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This result put to an end Argentian's 36 match unbeaten streak and now puts severe doubts on their hopes for the tournament, despite being many people's favourite to win the whole thing.
Given the shock and the magnitude of this result it has provoked a strong reaction from fans and pundits who couldn't quite believe what they were seeing.
\u201cSaudi Arabia\u2019s defence in the 2nd half: \n\u201d— The Second Tier (@The Second Tier) 1669118302
\u201cA GOAL FOR ALL OF THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA AND TYNE AND WEAR\u201d— Aidan James (@Aidan James) 1669115861
\u201cWe all Saudi now \ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\udde6\u201d— VUJ (@VUJ) 1669117221
\u201cSalem Al-Dawsari to Messi and Rodrigo De Paul at full time\u201d— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) 1669119061
\u201cBig result for former Cambridge United manager Herve Renard (sacked after four wins in 25 games).\u201d— Glenn Moore (@Glenn Moore) 1669119068
\u201cLove this\nhttps://t.co/SYezLCIBiO\u201d— Phil Hay (@Phil Hay) 1669118958
\u201cArgentina, unbeaten in 38, defeated by Saudi Arabia. Wow. The last trance.\u201d— Andy Mitten (@Andy Mitten) 1669118966
\u201cAll set for the Messi group stage redemption arc like in 2018, then...\u201d— Andy Brassell (@Andy Brassell) 1669118927
\u201cThat performance from Hassan Al Tambakti is up there with the best I can remember in a World Cup game.\u201d— James Benge (@James Benge) 1669118997
\u201cThis at full whistle.\n\nFOOTBALL BLOODY HELL!\n\n#ArgentinaSaudiArabia \n#Fifaworldcup\u00a0\n#Qatar2022\u201d— Tancredi Palmeri (@Tancredi Palmeri) 1669119003
\u201cOne of the all-time World Cup shocks - but also fairly on brand for Argentina at World Cups over the past 30 years\u201d— Andrew Cesare (@Andrew Cesare) 1669119004
\u201cMan, such an incredible performance by the Saudis - MOTM to Herv\u00e9 Renard? Is that allowed?\u201d— Pablo Iglesias Maurer (@Pablo Iglesias Maurer) 1669119010
\u201cOn yer biyik Argentina... shades of Cameroon in 1990 by Saudi Arabia here\u201d— Martyn Ziegler (@Martyn Ziegler) 1669118006
\u201cSERIOUSLY!! #FIFAWorldCup\u201d— Sam Tighe (@Sam Tighe) 1669117845
\u201cI don\u2019t know what Herve Renard\u2019s signature scent is but if I had to take a guess - leather.\u201d— Matteo Bonetti (@Matteo Bonetti) 1669117813
\u201cMaradona looking down right now\u201d— george (@george) 1669115748
\u201cWhat a job Eddie Howe is doing\u201d— Ivo Graham (@Ivo Graham) 1669118886
\u201chttps://t.co/PiUK8EyfvI\u201d— The Second Tier (@The Second Tier) 1669118933
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