On November 22, Saudi Arabia beat Argentina 2-1 in the World Cup.  Argentinian fans were left hopeless after the team’s loss. Many were surprised by the loss due to the presence of global soccer icon, Lionel Messi. However, Argentina ignored and squashed all gossip, and proved why they are one of the best international teams in the world. 

Argentina was the first to open their account with a penalty kick by Lionel Messi, who was in beast mode. During the first half, Argentina was leading with a score of 1-0, in a commanding position. When the second half began, Saleh Aishehr immediately scored Saudi Arabia’s first goal. After five minutes, another goal was scored by Saudi Arabia player Salem Al-Dawsari. Argentina scored goals in the second half, however they were all off-side. Eventually, they faced a final score of 2-1.

Many presumed it was over for Argentina and Messi would retire without a World Cup. Despite the loss, they proved many people wrong after claiming a victory against Mexico,2-0. The game was without a goal until the sixty-fourth minute, when Messi opened the account once again. In the final three minutes, Enzo Fernandez, Argentina’s central midfielder, scored another goal. Then, in the third game, Argentina won the game comfortably with the score being 2-0 against Poland. Alexis Mac Allister and Julián Álvarez scored in the forty-sixth and sixty-seventh minute, respectively. With two wins, Argentina finished as first in their group, and qualified for the round of 16.