FIFA World Cup 2022 Group C Recap: Saudi Arabia stuns Argentina

I was told Messi was the GOAT?

Group C had a chaotic start to the World Cup and the group standings will be quite shocking to those who didn’t catch the games.

Argentina vs Saudi Arabia

While Lionel Messi was able to open up his scoring tab by converting on a 10th minute penalty kick, Argentina eventually fell to Saudi Arabia. Messi’s squad struggled to stay onside with the flag going up at a rapid rate, including a 28th minute Lautaro Martinez goal being overturned by VAR due to Martinez being offside.

Salem Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari found the back of the net for Saudi Arabia at the beginning of the second half and were able to hold the lead until the final whistle.

It was a stunning upset with Argentina dominating possession and peppering Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais. The 31-year-old goalkeeper made five saves and was named Man of the Match.

Mexico vs Poland

With Saudi Arabia opening up with a win, the state of Group C changed rapidly. Both Poland and Mexico were gifted a great chance to get a leg up on Argentina who will end the match day with zero points.

Unfortunately neither side was truly able to take advantage of the opportunity as the match ended in a 0-0 draw. Poland had the best opportunity of the match with Robert Lewandowski getting the chance to take a penalty shot in the 58th minute but Guillermo Ochoa made the crucial stop for Mexico. It was a classic performance from Ochoa who recorded two saves.

Similar to Argentina, Mexico dominated possession but were still unable to secure a win.

Standings:

Saudi Arabia: 1-0-0, 3 points, +1 GD

Poland: 0-1-0, 1 point, 0 GD

Mexico: 0-1-0, 1 point, 0 GD

Argentina: 0-0-1, 0 points, -1 GD