Lionel Messi has broken his silence after two-time FIFA World Cup winners Argentina were outplayed by minnows Saudi Arabia at the grandest stage of them all on Tuesday. Messi-led Argentina side was handed a reality check at the Qatar World Cup as the former champions failed to win their opening fixture of the showpiece event at the Lusail Iconic Stadium. Pulling off one of the biggest upsets in the history of the FIFA World Cup, Saudi Arabia outclassed Argentina 2-1 to register a famous win over La Albiceleste.
Writing his name into the history books on Tuesday, Messi became the first Argentine player to net a goal in four different World Cups. Messi achieved the historic feat when the Paris Saint Germain (PSG) star scored the opening goal of the encounter between La Albiceleste and Saudi Arabia. However, Messi's record-breaking goal went in vain as Saudi Arabia staged an epic comeback in the second half. The second lowest-ranked team at the World Cup netted two goals in the second half to stun the former world champions.
Reflecting on Argentina's dreadful performance in its opening fixture at the FIFA World Cup 2022, Messi admitted that the two-time champions have suffered a 'very heavy blow' in the group stage of the elite tournament. "It's a situation that this group of players has never been through, it's been a while since we suffered such a tough blow, we didn't expect to start like this," Messi told Argentinian media after the World Cup 2022 encounter, reports news agency Reuters.
{{/usCountry}}Reflecting on Argentina's dreadful performance in its opening fixture at the FIFA World Cup 2022, Messi admitted that the two-time champions have suffered a 'very heavy blow' in the group stage of the elite tournament. "It's a situation that this group of players has never been through, it's been a while since we suffered such a tough blow, we didn't expect to start like this," Messi told Argentinian media after the World Cup 2022 encounter, reports news agency Reuters.
{{/usCountry}}Goals from Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari ended Argentina's 36-game unbeaten streak on Tuesday. Argentina have lost its FIFA World Cup opener for the first time since the 1990 edition of the showpiece event. Messi-led Argentina will hope to bounce back in its second group-stage match against Mexico on Sunday.
"There are no excuses. We have to be more united than ever. This group is strong and has shown it. It's a situation we haven't gone through in a long time. Now we have to show that this is a real group. It's a very hard blow for everyone, we didn't expect to start like this. Things happen for a reason. We have to prepare for what's coming, we have to win and it depends on us," Messi told reporters after the match.