Lusail, Qatar - In an astonishing Group C match on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia pulled off one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history by defeating Argentina's Lionel Messi 2-1.

Many people had anticipated that the third-ranked South American team, which had not lost a game in three years and was considered one of the favorites to win the tournament, would defeat its opponent, who was ranked 48 places below it in the world rankings.

All of the talk before the game was about Messi, one of the best players ever who is playing in his likely final World Cup.The captain of Argentina scored an early penalty to give his team the lead, but Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al Dawsari scored two goals in the second half to turn the game around.

As they celebrated their unexpected victory, the thousands of Saudi fans inside the Lusail Stadium couldn't believe what they were seeing.

For much of the match, it didn't look like they could make such a comeback.After Argentina took the lead, they controlled the game, but everything Saudi manager Hervé Renard said at halftime worked.His team emerged with fresh optimism and competed head-to-head with Argentina's world-class team.

Players of Saudi Arabia celebrate their shocking victory.

Al Dawsari's incredible goal from a distance and subsequent acrobatic celebration will be remembered by fans as an "I-was-there" moment and one of the highlights of this World Cup or any other.

Saudi Arabia fans reacted with fervor when the game ended, cheering every tackle and save as if they were goals as full time approached.

Due to shock and exhaustion, both sets of players fell to their knees.As he left, Messi, to whom so many people had come to watch him play, looked distraught, and ironically, Saudi fans cheered for him.

Gracenote, a Nielsen-owned sports data group, claims that the outcome on Tuesday was the biggest upset in the competition's history.

According to Gracenote, the most surprising World Cup win ever was USA's victory over England in 1950 with a 9.5% chance of victory, but Saudi Arabia's chance of victory today was estimated at 8.7%, so takes over at number one," the statement read.

Despite Saudi Arabia's historic victory, Argentina's capitulation on the biggest stage was a humiliating defeat.

In stark contrast to the Argentine team, which walked with their heads down onto the team bus, Saudi players greeted reporters with smiles and laughter as they left the stadium.Messi was one of the few people to stop and talk to journalists, even stopping to take pictures.

The best images from the World Cup in 2022


On November 22, players from Saudi Arabia celebrated their victory over Argentina.In one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history, Saudi Arabia prevailed 2-1.

Fans of Saudi Arabia who hold a belief in a touch of destiny also received additional good news.

Germany and France, which defeated Argentina in 2014 and 2018, respectively, went on to win the World Cup, while Croatia, which defeated Argentina in 2018, reached the final.

"I'm very pleased with my team.Fan Yazid Aldakheel told, "This is one of the weirdest games I've ever seen."It's like a dream to defeat Argentina, one of the best teams in the world.

"It's a different world to play in the World Cup, but to beat Argentina is something else."

Saudi Arabia plays Poland, and Argentina hopes to recover against Mexico in its next group match on Saturday.

Two games without goals

In the second match of the day, Christian Eriksen made his re-visitation of significant global football as Denmark started off its Reality Cup crusade with a 0-0 draw against Tunisia in Gathering D.

The Manchester United midfielder collapsed on the field during the European Championships in June after suffering a cardiac arrest, and his return to international football is nothing short of miraculous.

With tens of thousands of supporters behind them, Tunisia won for an impressive point.After Denmark's second-half improvement, a goal was disallowed due to offside, and substitute Andreas Cornelius was denied by the post.

A last-minute appeal for a penalty was also denied to the Danes.

Tuesday's game was also goalless, but it also had some drama.

Robert Lewandowski, a star player for Poland, missed a penalty kick as Mexico held his team to a 0-0 draw.

After the forward was brought down in the second half by Hector Moreno, Guillermo Ochoa made a great save from the penalty kick to deny the forward his first World Cup goal.