Huge upset for Argentina, Messi

Lionel Messi and his home country of Argentina were embarrassed by Saudi Arabia in the opening round of the World Cup on Tuesday morning, 2-1.

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Sports

November 22, 2022 - 2:36 PM

Argentina's Lionel Messi is pictured after tying 1-1 with Chile in their South American qualification football match for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 at the Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades stadium in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, on June 3, 2021. (Agustin Marcarian/Pool/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — The staggering loss for Lionel Messi and Argentina against Saudi Arabia at the World Cup is right up there with the biggest upsets in tournament history.

Messi, who had given Argentina the lead before the Saudis came back to win 2-1, is playing at what likely is his last World Cup and chasing the one major title that’s eluded him.

Messi and his highly-rated team, one of the favorites in Qatar, now have an unwanted place on a very different list after losing to a team ranked 48 places below them. Saudi Arabia had won only three games previously at the World Cup, and only one in the last 28 years before Tuesday’s shocker over the two-time champions.

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