After committing a foul in attack, Lionel Messi clasped his hands together as if in prayer. He looked to the sky, asking for divine help that once again eluded him.
How could this be happening? As the most relevant number 10 in that match, Argentina’s debut in the Qatar World Cup was not him, but Salem Aldawsari?
It was the Al Hilal attacking midfielder who scored the best goal of the game. A goal Messi would be proud of. Throw that defined one of the biggest upsets in the history of the World Cups. In the tournament that marks the farewell of one of the greatest in the history of football, Saudi Arabia defeated Argentina 2-1.
It might not have been so. Anyone who saw the first 45 minutes realized that it really shouldn’t have been like this. Argentina had chances to score at least five times before half-time but failed to capitalize on the Saudi scoring system’s suicidal high line. Three goals disallowed. One of them, with the help of VAR. The same one that helped the Slovenian referee Vincic to score a penalty against Leandro Paredes in the 10th minute.
The memory of 2018 was inevitable. Head down, looking dejected, Messi scared even officials from the AFA (Argentine Football Association) with the sadness that dominated him after missing a penalty on his debut against Iceland. In the brand new stadium of the brand new Lusail, he converted in 2022.
Everything seemed to be going as expected. The South American star had said last Monday (21) that he was feeling good and confident. He proved that by displacing goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais.
If Messi was at ease, so was Argentina. Why wouldn’t I be? The second goal seemed imminent. Whether it was through Papu Gómez’s passes, Di María’s runs or Lionel’s own, Alviceleste had control of the game.
It seemed certain that he would win and reach 36 unbeaten games. The last defeat had been to Brazil, in the semifinal of the Copa América 2019. A period of love between the fans and their national team so great that Lionel Scaloni’s team became the “Scaloneta”.
What nobody imagined, as it can happen in great tragedies (in the case of Argentina) is that everything changed drastically and quickly. It only took five minutes.
When Cuti Romero missed the mark and goalkeeper Dibu Martinez misplaced it, Salem Alsheri equalized with a cross kick.
Until the moment arrived when, in the seventh minute, Aldawsari was Lionel Messi and hit a shot in the angle.
It was there that another facet of Argentina’s debut was revealed. Their crowd took a beating from the Saudis in cheer and support for the team. Something as surprising as defeat on the field.
Messi said on Monday he was happy with the support he received from people from other countries. Every time he picked up the ball, he was booed a lot.
When South Americans tried to raise their voices with songs or shouts, they were drowned out by the Arabs.
Argentina had plenty of time to not only reach a draw, but to win. But if his number 10, global star, had said that everything was the current squad was very different from that of 2018, this one returned, on Tuesday, to the old habits. By the time something went wrong in the match, he was no longer able to recover.
Aldawsari’s shot knocked out one of the favorite teams for the title and put in check the farewell campaign in World Cups of one of the greatest players in the history of football.
With the unexpected defeat in the debut, Argentina will have to look for a result against rivals, in theory, more difficult in Group C: Mexico and Poland.
“I’m very excited”, said Lionel Messi before starting the game that would mark the beginning of his farewell in World Cups.
The illusion is now all about Saudi Arabia and its number 10 shirt.
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