Saudi Arabia shocks the world by beating Argentina with 2-1

In a thrilling match at the Lusail Stadium, Saudi Arabia staged a historic World Cup shock by defeating one of the tournament favorites, Argentina, 2-1.

The Asian team, rated 51st in the world, ended the star-studded Argentinian team, captained by Lionel Messi36-match ,’s winning streak by recording only their fourth tournament triumph overall and their second since 1994.

In his fifth and final appearance, Messi’s quest to win the top award in international football got off to the best possible start as he rolled in a penalty after only 10 minutes.

Three of Argentina’s goals in the first half were ruled out for offsides, but the team was startled by Saudi Arabia’s improvement after the interval.

The game was turned on its head by two outstanding goals from Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari in the space of four minutes, and the Saudis fiercely defended to hold on to one of their largest victories ever.

With matches remaining against Group C opponents Poland and Mexico, Herve Renard’s team is currently well-positioned to advance to the knockout rounds for the first time in 28 years.

Prior to this, Saudi Arabia had only won in four World Cup games, including two victories from 1994, their last and lone appearance in the knockout rounds.

This is perhaps their best triumph ever; it is their second tournament victory in the previous 28 years. They defeated Egypt four years ago in Russia and previously defeated Morocco and Belgium in the USA ’94.

But defeating this Argentina team, captained by Messi, and regarded as one of the tournament favorites, will go down as one of the biggest shocks in tournament history – and perhaps the biggest event in Saudi Arabian football history.