DOHA – A bold and brilliant Saudi Arabia pulled off one of the World Cup’s biggest shocks as they came from behind to stun two-time winners Argentina in a fantastic Group C opener in Lusail.
Ranked 51st in the world, Saudi Arabia could have been done and dusted in the first half as Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Argentina had three goals ruled out for offside.
But Saudi Arabia flipped the game on its head in a stunning 10-minute period after half-time, Saleh Al-Shehri leveling with a low effort and Salem Al Dawsari firing them ahead to spark pandemonium in the stands.
Having shown their ruthlessness at one end, the Green Falcons demonstrated a ruggedness at the other, holding a stellar Argentina front line at bay to secure only their fourth World Cup win in history and throw the group wide open.
Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina came into the tournament among the favorites, on the back of a 36-game unbeaten run that included winning the 2021 Copa America.
They now have it all to do to keep alive their hopes of a first global triumph since 1986 and give Messi a fitting ending to what is very likely his World Cup swansong.
They face Mexico on Saturday, while Saudi Arabia take on Poland. (BBC)
Wales draws USA
Meanwhile, even in unfamiliar territory, Wales will feel like they have been here before.
Playing at their first World Cup for 64 years, Wales turned to a familiar saviour in Gareth Bale as they pulled a point from the fire in their opening game against the United States.
And although they had not graced this stage since 1958, Wales can turn to more recent history for inspiration as they plot their way forward in Qatar.
Having been absent from major tournaments for 58 years, Wales have qualified for three out of four since 2016. And it is the most recent of those, last year’s delayed Euro 2020, which could form the template for progress at this World Cup.
In the sweltering heat of Azerbaijan, Wales’ first match in 2021 was not going to plan as they trailed 1-0 at half-time against Switzerland, whose lead was no reflection of their dominance.
On that occasion Kieffer Moore’s header earned Wales a 1-1 draw and set the platform for the second group game in which they blew Turkey away to take a huge stride towards the second round.
In Qatar on Monday night, there were echoes of that campaign’s beginning in Baku.
Wales were thoroughly outplayed by the USA in the first half and fortunate only to be 1-0 down at the break, before Moore’s introduction transformed them.
Bale, their captain, all-time leading scorer and scriptwriter in chief, then conjured yet another decisive moment with a late penalty.
Wales had not been here for 64 years and yet still this felt like a film they had seen before.
“The goal was exactly what we needed,” said Bale. “It didn’t matter who scored it and it gave us a foothold to try and go and win it. I felt that we played very well in the second half. Personally, it was great to get the goal but the most important thing was that the team scored. We just need to keep the momentum going, recover and go again.”
Now they need to beat Iran on Friday to take a similar stride towards the second round of the World Cup. (BBC)
