Saudi Arabia beat Argentina 2-1 in the first match of the third group of the World Cup. Herve Renard’s team fell behind after Messi’s free kick, but allowed one of the biggest upsets in the history of the tournament.

Argentina, one of the favorites to win the trophy, scored three more goals in the first half, but they were not counted. Lionel Scaloni’s team went on a 36-game unbeaten streak before the first match in Qatar.

As expected, Scaloni’s team dominated from the first minutes. As a rule, the hosts missed their first chance at 2 minutes with Messi after a great pass from Lautaro Martinez.

In the 9th minute, Albiselesta converted a penalty after Abdulaihi tripped Paredes. Messi coolly performed and opened the scoring. It was the Argentine superstar’s seventh goal in a World Cup final.

Messi became the first Albiceleste player to score in four World Cup tournaments. Herve Renard’s team reached the first final in the 17th minute, but Martinez easily blocked Abdulhamid’s cross shot.

Five minutes later, Messi was back in goal after a beautiful goal from Gomez, but the Argentine captain’s goal was ruled out for offside. Lionel Scaloni’s team dominated the field and scored two more goals through Lautaro Martinez (27 minutes, 35 minutes), but both goals were not counted due to offside.

Saudi Arabia gave a complete surprise at the beginning of the second half. Herve Renard’s side equalized in the 48th minute thanks to a great strike by Al Seri. At the beginning of the phase, Messi made a mistake in the center of the field, and Al-Buraikan won the ball.

It was the first final try by a typically away team in the match. In the 53rd minute, Al Daswari caught a great shot and beat Martinez 1-2 to the Saudis.

The players of Lionel Scaloni looked disorganized on the field. Argentina began to choke the opponent’s frames after the 60th minute.

Saudi Arabia defended hard and goalkeeper Al Owais had a great save in the 63rd and 72nd minutes. At 80′ Messi played a free kick, but the ball flew over the crossbar.

The Albiceleste captain missed again in the 90th minute. Argentina were keen to score a goal and in the fifth minute of stoppage time, Messi entered the box but lost the ball.