Introduction
The World Cup kicked off this Sunday with a riveting game between Qatar and Ecuador. Ecuador was able to outplay Qatar and used possession as a way to control pressure. Ecuador also had strong attacking plays and crosses and their veteran striker Enner Valencia was able to score the two goals that decided the game. It was a great start to a very entertaining tournament so far.
Argentina’s Success
Argentina played their first game against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Before this game Argentina were on a 36 match unbeaten run and had won the Copa America last year. It was fair to say that Argentina were many people’s pick in winning the whole World Cup. Unfortunately for them this game ended up becoming one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.
Game Recap
Argentina started off strong with some chances and a penalty that was taken and scored by Lionel Messi himself. Argentina’s striker Lautaro Martinez had plenty of chances and scored a goal which was ruled offside. After the second half started, Saudi Arabia came out as a whole different team and were very strong. They scored the equalizer quickly and not even five minutes later Saudi Arabia’s winger Salem Aldawsari scored a brilliant goal from outside the box to put them ahead. The rest of the game included Argentina having two more goals ruled offside and poor performances from the rest of the team. Saudi Arabia were able to exploit Argentina’s attacking line by pushing their last line of defense high up the field to catch the strikers offside. It was a tactical masterclass from Saudi Arabia’s manager Hervé Renard. Renard also had to flex on his opponents with one of the freshest manager fits so far in the World Cup.
This is Hervé Renard, he wore Louis Vuitton sneakers before completing one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.
Saudi Arabia’s success not Argentina’s downfall
Many people are focusing on Argentina’s loss and how big of an upset it was. I would rather focus on how well Saudi Arabia played. This was their fourth win in a World Cup in their entire history as a soccer team but looked better than some of the bigger countries. I am excited to see where they end up in this tournament and with them topping the group they could end up in the knockout rounds! Although I like Messi and would love to see him lift that World Cup trophy, they’re going to need to step it up if they want to stay in the tournament. Their next games include Mexico and Poland who are both strong teams with lots of talent.
