Argentinian legends Lionel Messi and Angel di Maria have spoken out following their shocking 1-2 defeat to Saudi Arabia in the Qatar World Cup 2022 and sent a message to heartbroken fans in the wake of their disappointing show.
Argentina's shocking 1-2 loss to Saudi Arabia in the Qatar World Cup 2022 left fans of the South American nation disheartened worldwide. The last time Argentina lost their opening World Cup game was in 1990 against Cameroon. And despite Messi's penalty in the 10th minute of the clash, Saudi Arabia's Saleh Alshehri and Salem Aldawsari's goals in the 48th and 53rd minutes of the game sealed the Argentinians' fate. Several missed chances by the South Americans in the second half left supporters gasping for breaths, but the Saudi Arabian goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais' heroics ensured Messi and Co.'s campaign in the showpiece event started with a frustrating loss.
Following this shocking result, Messi offered no excuses for Argentina's disappointing show but also sent a message to team fans. "We had those disallowed goals. At that time, we thought we would have a lot of chances, and we made the mistake of speeding up and going route one, instead of moving the ball from side to side," the 35-year-old legend said. "We knew they would play a high line, and we got caught up in that a bit. Then we went 2-1 down and we became disorganised, playing desperately," he added.
"The goal so early wasn't good for us, and it confused us. We knew that in the first game, it could happen that we didn't play as well as we could and we have been. When the scoreline goes against you, it becomes even more difficult. The group is dead right now, because it's a tough blow to take, because we were confident of getting off to a good start, of winning, and that calms you. But this group stands out for its unity, its strength and now is the time to be more united than ever and know we can go back to the start, to our way of playing to try to win," said the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Despite the defeat, Messi wants to finish well and focus on the upcoming matches. Mexico will be the Albiceleste's next opponent on Saturday. "Calmness [is my message for the fans]. We know it's a tough blow, one that hurts. But we have to keep believing and we need the people to keep believing that this group won't let them down. We're going to go and try to win against Mexico," the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star added.
Meanwhile, Messi's teammate Angel di Maria, who had a few chances during Tuesday's clash, took to Instagram to send a message to Argentina fans. "Didn't start off the way we wanted. But that's football. We have to look ahead as this team always did. LET'S GO WITH EVERYTHING THERE'S STILL A LOT LEFT," he said.