KEY POINTS

  • Saudi Arabia defeated Argentina 2-1 in World Cup 2022
  • Lionel Messi scored his side's lone goal
  • Saudi Arabia ended Argentina's 36-match unbeaten streak

Saudi Arabia boss Herve Renard has made a brutal statement about Lionel Messi after his side defeated Argentina 2-1 in the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Argentina were stunned by Renard's Saudi Arabia in their opening Group C game in the ongoing World Cup in Qatar on Tuesday. Messi and Co had entered the World Cup 2022 on a 36-match unbeaten streak that went back to 2019 when they had lost to Brazil in Copa America.

The 2-1 loss at Lusail Stadium on Tuesday marked Argentina's first defeat to a team outside of the top 50 of the FIFA World Rankings in over 10 years. It also saw Argentina lose their first game of a World Cup for the first time since 1990.

Speaking in a post-match interview, Saudi Arabia boss Renard accused Messi of not being as motivated against Saudi as he would have been in a game against South American rivals Brazil.

"Imagine Lionel Messi is playing versus Saudi Arabia. He will say they have to start well and win but you know the motivation is not like it would be playing Brazil. This is normal. We have made history for Saudi football and it will stay forever, that is most important, but we also need to look forward because we still have two very difficult games to play," Renard told reporters.

Following their historic victory over two-time champions Argentina, Saudi Arabia announced that Wednesday would be a public holiday, on the Jeddah Corniche by the Red Sea, in the heart of the capital Riyadh and in towns and villages across the country.

Lionel Messi is embarking on what will surely be his last World Cup
AFP

Reacting to their shocking defeat on Tuesday, Argentina skipper Messi said that his side is now going to be "more united than ever."

"We know that Saudi Arabia is a team with good players, who move the ball around well and play a high line. We worked on that but we rushed it a bit. There are no excuses, we're going to be more united than ever before. This group is strong and has shown it before. We had not been in this situation for a long time. Now we must show that this is a true group," Messi said in an interview.

Argentina's next game in World Cup 2022 is against Mexico on Saturday.

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