An unpleasant surprise for the fans was prepared by Argentina, the two-time world champion lost his debut match at the World Cup: 1:2 against Saudi Arabia. At the end of the game, Lionel Messi offered an explanation for the Cougars’ unexpected failure.

Lionel Messi: “It’s time to prove that we are one group”

“We scored very quickly and had many chances, but in the second half we made a mistake and lost the lead. We didn’t find our game and started throwing random crosses and desperately looking for an equaliser. I knew they had very fast and good players. We didn’t feel comfortable and they defended very well.

We are one group and now is the time to prove it. We have to show that we are strong. We have not been defeated for a long time and now we have to prepare well for the match against Mexico.

I tell people to trust us. This group will not let them down and we will go for a win in both of our next matches. We know we’re bound to win, but we’ve already played games with these features. We have no excuse.

Not the start we wanted, but everything happened for a reason. Now is the time to be more united than ever. We must be strong. We depend on ourselves,” Lionel Messi was quoted as saying by AS.com, Eurosport reports.

Know:

• Lionel Messi became the first Argentinian player to score in 4 World Cup finals (2006, 2014, 2018, 2022). Thus, the PSG star surpasses Gabriel Batistuta (1994, 1998, 2002) and Diego Maradona (1982, 1986, 1994).

• The last time Argentina lost their opening match at a FIFA World Cup was in the 1990 World Cup, when the Cougars lost to Cameroon (0-1 at the San Siro).

• The last time Argentina lost was in the semifinals of the Copa America 2019 (July 3), when they were beaten by Brazil (0:2). Then there were 36 matches without defeat.

• Argentina won the World Cup title twice, in 1978 and 1986.

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