Argentina's path to a third World Cup title got off to a disastrous start Tuesday after Saudi Arabia shocked the South American champions with a 2-1 upset that sent Lionel Messi and La Albiceleste hurtling back into traumatic memories of Iceland, Croatia, France and Chile.
Pasó lo que nadie imaginaba que pasaría. Arabia Saudita dio la primera gran sorpresa del Mundial luego de derrotar 2-1 a una Argentina que llegó a Catar como candidata al título y con una impresionante racha de 36 partidos internacionales invicta.
Repetimos, no es una broma.
El resultado – no está demás decir– le agrega una dosis extra de pimienta al Grupo C, que es también el de Polonia y México.
Argentina, ranked third in the FIFA Rankings and a trendy pick to win the World Cup, has suffered one of the greatest upsets in tournament history after Saudi Arabia, ranked 51st and expected to finish fourth in Group C, went toe-to-toe with the South American giant and prevailed 2-1.
The match had presented Argentina with a chance at equaling Italy's international record of 37 games unbeaten, but that streak is over and more importantly, La Albiceleste are in serious trouble with Mexico (Nov. 26) and Poland (Nov. 30) up next.
Semi-automated offside technology is in use for the first time in FIFA World Cup history in Qatar this year. The system is more accurate than the lines that VAR used to draw, but it hasn’t come without controversy. A Lautaro Martínez offside call during Argentina’s shocking 2-1 defeat vs. Saudi Arabia is one of the biggest talking points.
AL KHOR, Qatar - Captain Enner Valencia extended his cult status in Ecuador to wider international acclaim with a first-half double that propelled the South Americans to a comfortable 2-0 win over hosts Qatar in the opening game of the World Cup on Sunday.
The 33-year-old forward, nicknamed Superman, increased his record tally of goals for Ecuador to 37 and became the country’s highest scoring player at World Cup tournaments as his double at the Al Bayt Stadium added to the three he scored in 2014.
Catar soñaba con un triunfo en la inauguración de SU Mundial. Ecuador, sin embargo, no quiso ser el pastel de la fiesta y le clavó una dolorosa derrota 2-0.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is underway with Ecuador handling the supremely limited host nation Qatar 2-0 without surrendering a shot on target. It was a pathetic display from Qatar, but their tournament will thankfully be over quickly Friday after Senegal once again hands them a deserved beating.
So what did we learn from Sunday's curtain raiser besides the fact that Morgan Freeman has added a couple million to his bank account?
No iban ni tres minutos de juego, en el partido inaugural del Mundial entre Catar y Ecuador, cuando la primera gran polémica del torneo se instaló en el debate de los aficionados. Esto luego de que el cuerpo arbitral liderado por el italiano Daniele Orsato decidiera anular un gol convertido por el ecuatoriano Enner Valencia.
El cobro se fundó en un supuesto fuera de juego en la construcción de la jugada, pero al ver las repeticiones la falta no parecía muy clara. Y eso desencadenó los ataques sobre Catar, nación anfitriona del evento, a la cual acusaron de corrupción.
Thiago, Mateo y Ciro, los hijos de Lionel Messi ya van rumbo a Catar para acompañar a su padre en el debut de Argentina ante Arabia Saudita y una aventura que esperan concluya con el trofeo de la Copa del Mundo en sus brazos.
Vestidos con el uniforme de La Albiceleste, los tres aparecen en una foto compartida por Antonela Roccuzzo, esposa de Messi, que se ha vuelto viral. Con la lectura "Allá vamos Qatar", el post subido originalmente a Instagram cuenta ya con más de 1,5 millones de likes.
To prepare you for the tournament, The18 has launched team-by-team previews for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Here’s the Uruguay World Cup preview who'll play in Group H against Portugal, South Korea and Ghana.
World Cup Appearances: 14th
Best Finish: Champions (1930, 1950)