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Saudi Arabia fans celebrate stunning World Cup win vs Argentina

Saudi Arabia scored one of the biggest World Cup upsets ever by beating Lionel Messi’s Argentina 2-1 on Tuesday.

Saudi fans
Saudi fans cheer at Qatar's Lusail Stadium during the Argentina vs Saudi Arabia Group C match of the FIFA World Cup on November 22, 2022. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
By Sorin Furcoi
Published On 22 Nov 2022

Saudi Arabia sealed one of the biggest World Cup upsets by beating Lionel Messi’s Argentina 2-1 at Lusail Stadium in Qatar.

Messi’s quest to win the one major title to elude him got off to a shocking start on Tuesday and brought back memories of Cameroon’s 1-0 win over an Argentina team led by Diego Maradona in the opening game of the 1990 World Cup.

Messi rolled in a penalty to give Argentina a 10th-minute lead. But goals by Saleh Alshehri and Salem Aldawsari in a five-minute span in the second half gave the Saudis their biggest win.

This also rivals shocking results such as Senegal beating then-titleholder France 1-0 in the 2002 tournament opener and the United States stunning England by the same score in 1950.

Argentina v Saudi Arabia
The Saudi team was constantly under attack by Argentina's forwards. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
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Saudi Arabia players
Messi scored an early goal but Saudi Arabia hit back with a quick brace. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
saudi
The celebrations on the pitch were wild after the final whistle. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Saudi fans
Saudi fans celebrate outside Lusail Stadium after the team handed Argentina its first loss in 37 games. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Saudi fans celebrate
Saudi Arabia had never beaten Argentina before today. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Saudi fans celebrate
Saudi fans celebrate after the match that has thrown the group wide open. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
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Saudi fans celebrate
Saudi fans celebrate their team's 2-1 win over Argentina at Lusail Stadium. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Saudi fans celebrate
Celebrations were seen across the city of Doha, Qatar after Saudi Arabia's stunning upset. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Saudi fans celebrate
Saudi fans continued to celebrate the remarkable win long after the final whistle. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]