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      England backed into second favourites for World Cup glory after Saudi Arabia stun Argentina

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      ENGLAND are now second-favourites to win the World Cup – trailing only pre-tournament favourites Brazil.Bookmakers Betfair updated their odds following Argentina’s shock defeat to Saudi Arabia this morning.
      England are next second favourites to win the World CupCredit: Getty
      The Three Lions came into the tournament as 8/1 fourth-favourites behind Brazil, France and Argentina.
      Yesterday’s thumping 6-2 win over Iran saw their odds clipped to 7/1 for glory but still behind the other three nations.
      But Lionel Messi and co flopping against the world number 53 side saw a major shake-up in the odds.
      Brazil still lead the way as the 3/1 favourites with their opening game still to come.
      Then it’s England who are now 13/2 second-favourites, just ahead of France at 7/1 who kick-off their competition tonight against Australia.
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      World Cup outright bettingBetfair odds

      Brazil 3/1
      England 13/2
      France 7/1
      Spain 17/2
      Argentina 17/2
      Netherlands 10/1
      Germany 10/1
      Portugal 13/1
      Belgium 20/1
      Denmark 25/1
      Uruguay 40/1
      Croatia 50/1

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      Argentina come next as they join Spain as 17/2 shots, with the Netherlands just behind at 10/1.
      Germany (10/1), Portugal (13/1), Belgium (20/1) and Denmark (25/1) come next, with all four yet to start their opening games.
      Betfair spokesperson Sam Rosbottom said: “England are now the second-favourites to win the 2022 World Cup after Saudi Arabia stunned Lionel Messi and co by beating Argentina 2-1 on Tuesday.
      “Argentina had been 5/1 to go all the way in Qatar before their shock defeat, but are now 17/2.
      “Meanwhile, England’s odds on bringing it home have since shortened to 13/2 from 7/1, with Brazil the 3/1 favourites.”
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      Inside unfinished £175-a-night Qatar fan village with sweltering 37C container cabins and builders are still at work

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      WORLD Cup fans are facing sweltering 37C container cabins with broken air conditioning units, dirty water and builders still working on the unfinished camps. Qatar has a popped up a number of temporary villages to help accommodate the more than one million fans expected to descend for the sporting extravaganza.
      Sun man Oliver Harvey stayed at one of the £175-a-night cabins near DohaCredit: Dan Charity
      Temperatures inside our cabin hit highs to 37C – and the air conditioner was brokenCredit: Dan Charity
      The tube connecting the air con unit to the outside wasn’t set up – leaving a gaping hole in the wallCredit: Dan Charity
      Parts of the fan village simply looked unfinishedCredit: Dan Charity
      Workmen were still on site even as fans moved in for the World CupCredit: Dan Charity
      But despite billions of pounds being ploughed into infrastructure – including an entirely new city – some of it appears to have been hastily knocked together on a tight budget.
      Sun man Oliver Harvey forked out £175 to spend the night at the Fan Village Cabins Free Zone just outside of Doha.
      The tiny container-style cabins house two people in a cramped bedroom with an en suite shower – and the metal structures are left baking beneath the blazing sun.
      “[It is] constructed on a site which resembled an unfinished car park,” said Oliver.
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      Staying in cabin E11-15, the site is wedged between two busy roads and is around 30 minutes away from the luxurious hotel being enjoyed by England.
      After opening up his digs for the night, our reporter was met with a blazing wave of hot air as he stepped inside the “shipping container” cabin.
      He found the air conditioner was not even hooked up – with the tube connecting it to the outside world not even attached and a gaping hole left in the wall of his cabin.
      The container did have a desk-style fan attached to the wall – but it only offered light relief from the insufferable heat.
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      Our man came prepared, and the sweating Oliver got out his thermometer to measure the staggering temperature.
      The mercury quickly climbed to nearly 38C.
      “It [was] really stifling,” said Oliver, “We are going to be ‘oven ready’ England fans after a night in here.”
      When he did manage to get the aircon working, it was incredibly noisy and would made it hard to sleep.
      And it only managed to drop the temperature down to 31C.
      Oliver went to test the shower and sink, only to find it was piping hot and the water appeared to be dirty.
      Finding he could not spend another “sweltering second” inside his cabin, Oliver headed out to explore the rest of the fan village.
      What he found was rows upon rows of hundreds of metal boxes arranged on a flat, barren piece of land which appeared to be little more than a disused car park.
      Beyond hunkering down between the rows of cabins, there was very little shade.
      And that made sitting on prearranged bean bags around the village’s big screen extremely unappealing as the sun beat down.
      Low-flying planes roared overhead in the blue skies in what was quite a strange and bleak World Cup experience.
      Worth the price for a baking hot room? Probably not, says our reporter Oliver HarveyCredit: Dan Charity
      The fan village looks more like an ‘unfinished car park’Credit: Dan Charity
      At least there was ice cream to help you cool offCredit: Dan Charity
      The water in our cabin’s bathroom ran dirty when we first got thereCredit: Dan Charity
      And the pepperoni pizza – with just four pieces of pepperoni – cost £15Credit: Dan Charity
      There are beanbags to watch the big screen – if you can endure the sweltering heat and baking sunCredit: Dan Charity
      Oliver managed to find some other fans, running into two men from Japan.
      They agreed their room was “tiny, hot and expensive”.
      “I don’t like it”, one said.
      And the two Japan fans admitted they had a staggering 16 NIGHTS at the camp to endure, questioning whether they would even be able to get to sleep.
      “Outrageous,” they laughed.
      Oliver also ran into two Mexican fans who, despite being in good spirits, agreed it was incredibly hot in their cabin.
      Continuing to explore, our man decided to settle down for a meal.
      He picked himself up a pepperoni pizza for £15.
      And despite the grub being quite small with just four pieces of pepperoni on it, Oliver admitted it was “not too bad”.
      After enjoying his lunch, he then found himself in a massive unfinished grey gravel expanse in the middle of the village.
      Workers were still setting up the giant marquee – which Oliver wasn’t sure it was exactly meant to be, maybe a dining area?

      Qatar has already faced questions over organisation of the World Cup – with reports weeks before the start that the nation simply was not ready.
      Confusion over the sale of beer, infrastructure problems and reports of crowd trouble at the fanzone have already surfaced.
      The tiny country is expected to welcome more than one million fans during the tournament – when the country only has a population of 2.9million.
      Billions have been spent to try and ready the nation for its first attempt at holding an event of this scale.
      Japanese fans at the box village, Naota Endo and Daisuke Kusaba, were also unimpressedCredit: Dan Charity
      Oliver also ran into Mexican fans at the villageCredit: Dan Charity
      Other fans agreed with him the rooms were incredibly hotCredit: Dan Charity More

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      England stars return to training with James Maddison OUT but Kyle Walker closing in on return against USA

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      ENGLAND’S players returned to training following their huge 6-2 win over Iran in their opening World Cup match.But James Maddison still didn’t feature as he continues his recovery from a knee injury.
      Jack Grealish was in training after netting for England yesterday while Kyle Walker (right) will be a welcome sight for Three Lions supportersCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      James Maddison is not yet ready to return to trainingCredit: Reuters
      Maddison was a last minute call-up from Gareth Southgate but was not cleared to feature against the Iranians after undergoing a scan.
      Kyle Walker was also absent from the fixture having not played since being forced off injured in Man City’s 6-3 win over Man Utd on October 2.
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      Southgate confirmed before the Iran match that Walker was back in training, but stated that the opening game had come “a little bit early ” for him.
      However, he added that the Man City ace was still in line to return ahead of schedule.
      Grealish scored England’s sixth goal after a generous assist from Callum Wilson, who did not trainCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      Kalvin Phillips also trained having been declared fit by Gareth Southgate as he steps up his return from injuryCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      Marcus Rashford in training after opening his World Cup 2022 account just seconds after coming on against IranCredit: PA
      Apart from Maddison, Callum Wilson was the only England non-starter not to feature in today’s warm-down sessionCredit: Getty
      The England boss said on Sunday: “In terms of player availability, everybody’s available bar James Maddison for tomorrow [against Iran].
      “It’s a little bit early for Kyle Walker but he is training with the team, so that’s ahead of where we thought he might be at this stage. Very positive.”
      None of the England starting line-up that faced Iran were involved in training.
      READ MORE ENGLAND NEWS
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      But goalscorers Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish both featured, along with Walker’s Man City team-mate Kalvin Phillips, who recently recovered from injury to make the bench against the Iranians.
      Callum Wilson, who generously assisted Grealish’s goal, was the only England star other than Maddison who did not start the game and did not feature in today’s training session. More

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      I’m a parent and I’m furious at my kids’ school – they’re making the students skip lessons to watch the World Cup

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      A MUM has revealed her anger at her football-hating children’s school after they cancelled less so pupils could watch the World Cup.Th 42-year-old parent, from Stoke-on-Trent, said she was dismayed that her kids had missed ‘crucial’ teaching time to watch England’s opening match against Iran.
      Pupils at the school had lessons cancelled to watch England open their World Cup campaign against IranCredit: Google Maps
      The fuming mum said to the Stoke Sentinel: “Do parents know this is happening?
      “The school goes on about missing education all the time but then it’s pandering to the students that are threatening to be off school. It’s very wrong.
      “I’m so infuriated by it. My youngest loves school, loves going to classes, they don’t get it from me. My eldest is in Year 10 studying towards their GCSEs. They know how important it is to get in every bit of education they can.
      “The ones that want to go to class are being punished because there’s going to be half of the school that wants to watch it.”
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      She said that any students who refused to turn up should be punished rather than those who want to learn.
      The mum added: “If it was me, I would have watched the football as I hated school. The reason why I’m so annoyed is that my child isn’t into football.

      “They’ve given them an option, they can watch the football or they don’t have to watch it, but they won’t be doing the lesson they’re meant to be doing.
      “So basically they’re missing out on the lesson that they’re supposed to have at that time.”
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      However, Ormiston Sir Stanley Matthews Academy has defended its decision, saying that half the class would likely have skipped school anyway if the game wasn’t being show.
      They also said that lessons would be provided for any pupils that wanted them.
      A spokesperson the academy said: “Like many schools across the country, we have taken the decision to air England’s opening match, as part of this global sporting event.
      “All other matches that England could qualify for will take place outside of academy hours, and so this is a one-off event, with minor adjustments to lesson timetables.
      “Many of our students are avid football fans and are keen to show their support to the national team during this pinnacle moment.
      “We also wanted to minimise any chance of absences that may have occurred had we chosen not to air the match.”
      They added: “We informed all parents and carers of our decision last week, and lessons will be taking place as usual for students whose parents have expressed that preference.”
      The Three Lions surged to a 6-2 victory over Iran as Gareth Southgate’s men started their World Cup campaign in style.
      Read More on The Sun
      There were goals for Jude Bellingham, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish, as well as a brace for Bukayo Saka.
      Grealish celebrated his goal with an ‘arm worm’ as a special tribute to a young fan. More

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      Fans all say the same thing as Saudi Arabia score stunner against Argentina in World Cup… and it’s only 11am

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      FOOTBALL fans have all been left saying the same thing after Saudi Arabia scored a screamer to take a shock lead against Argentina. The South Americans went into the break 1-0 up thanks to a Lionel Messi penalty, but a quick-fire double including a stunner from Salem Al Dawasari saw the game turned on its head.
      Salem Al-Dawasari scores a sensational goal vs ArgentinaCredit: Getty
      Saudi Arabia players celebrate after taking the leadCredit: Getty
      Al Dawasari, who plays for Al Halil in the Saudi Pro League, got on the ball on the left side of the penalty area and managed to bring it under his control despite pressure from the Argentine defence.
      He then did a Cruyff turn before jinking past another defender and curling an effort into the far post beyond the grasping claw of Emiliano Martinez.
      And fans have been left stunned by this sequence of events.
      One fan said: “Goal of the Tournament so far.”
      READ MORE ON THE WORLD CUP
      A second user added: “This is a fantastic goal. What a classic finish.Goal of the tournament contender.”
      A third said: “Goal of the Tournament so far! Take a bow, son.”
      Meanwhile, with the clash between these two as the early kick-off for today’s World Cup games fans believe they are in for a rollercoaster ride for the rest of the day.
      One user said: “World Cup drama came way too early😭😭.”
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      Another joked: “Don’t bet on the ‘early kick-off’ applies at the World Cup too. Okay okay okay.”
      Saudi Arabia managed to hold on to the result to claim a historic victory thanks to some stoic defending and cause a huge World Cup upset. More

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      Argentina 1 Saudi Arabia 2 – World Cup LIVE RESULT: Messi and co suffer torrid start after Saudi ends unbeaten run

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      ARGENTINA got off to the worst possible start in their World Cup campaign after being stunned by Saudi Arabia.Lionel Messi opened the scoring early courtesy of a coolly dispatched penalty.
      However, Saudi Arabia’s quick fire double in the second half has left the World Cup favourites stunned as they see their 36-match unbeaten run go up in smoke.

      RESULT: Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
      Argentina XI: Martinez, Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico, Paredes, De Paul, Gomez, Di Maria, Messi, Martinez
      Saudi Arabia XI: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Al Boleahi, Al Buraikan, Al Dawsari, Al Faraj, Al Malki, Al Shahrani, Al Shehri, Kanno, Tambakti

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      Martinez reacts
      The Argentina striker had the ball in the back of the net twice today, but both goals were chalked off for offiside.
      This hurts a lot. We had big hope of starting the World Cup with a win. but this is over now and we must train and think about what’s to come.Lautaro Martinez, Argentina striker
      The winning goal
      Al Dawsari with a moment of magic.

      The world is on their feet
      Cheers and clapping can be heard from the Virtual Stadium 2 in the Main Media Centre of Qatar.
      The Virtual stadium is one of two large cinemas where media can watch games and take part in post-match press conferences.
      Credit: EPA
      Credit: Reuters
      From Andrew Dillon at Lusail Stadium
      SunSport’s Andrew Dillon, who is in the stands right now, has this report from Qatar:
      A STUNNING GAME of two halves in a vast stadium where nobody can buy a pint.
      Even the strictly sober Saudis must have fancied a Bud to toast the most remarkable result in their football history and one which is sending shockwaves through the World Cup.
      From a goal down after ten minutes and three hair’s-breadth offside decisions going in their favour in the first half, the Arab minnows came storming back to beat one of the tournament favourites.
      And Argentina’s bewildered skipper Lionel Messi would have been proud to score both the high quality goals which condemned the two-times world champions to an almighty giant killing.
      He had stabbed his team ahead in the tenth minute by stroking home a penalty following a foul on Juve’s Leandro Paredes.
      It marked the veteran’s 92nd goal in 162 games for his country and it looked like this Group C opener would become another routine rollover.
      But when Messi and strike partner Lautaro Martinez had a hat-trick of narrow offsides go against them in the first half this game began turning on its head.
      The introduction of ultra-sensitive new technology caught them out time and time again but yet there was still a feeling that vastly experienced Messi would lead his in-form team mates to eventual victory.
      Argentina were unbeaten in 36 games going into a game they were expected to stroll. And maybe that was their biggest mistake.
      Saudi’s French coach Herve Renard insists his country is not here just for a ‘jolly’ but try wiping the smiles off their faces now.
      In just five minutes they upended the entire 2022 World Cup with football’s equivalent of an Arab Spring.
      Just three minutes into the second half Saudi forward Saleh Al Shehri picked up a threaded through ball on a run towards the Argentina box but the danger looked well covered.
      Only Tottenham’s normally formidable centre half Cristian Romero uncharacteristically went all Spursy and shied away from making a tackle.
      Instead he allowed his opponent to outpace him over five yards then plant a laser-like shot across the face of goal into the opposite corner of the net.
      We can only suspect Argentina were in shock because shortly afterwards the entire defence crumbled.
      Saudi’s star man Salem Al Dawsari picked up the ball on the right hand edge of the box. A 180 degree turn later he glided past three defenders before striking a rising shot which Aston Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez could only paw into the back of his net.
      Saudi Arabia are 51st in the world, have never been beyond the last 16 at a World Cup and have won only one game at a finals since 1994. That shows what this result means to them.
      Seeing the Argentina team on the deck at the final whistle shows what this humiliation means to them.
      Saudi’s heroic rearguard action was topped by a headed clearance off the line by Abdulelah Al Amri in injury time but gallant defender Yasser Al Shahrani was Ko’d by a knee to the head from his own keeper.Andrew DillonSunSport
      FULL-TIME – Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
      TAKE A BREATH. SAUDI ARABIA MAKE HISTORY IN QATAR.
      One of the greatest upsets in World Cup history, in football history, in sporting history. This will be talked about for years to come.
      Saudi Arabia, take a bow.
      Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
      90+10, Al Owais saves!
      Alvarez sends a looping header and the keeper dives like a falcon through the sky to keep Saudi dreams alive.
      Di Maria then curls an ugly ball out for a goal kick. Have they done it now?
      Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
      90+10, Acuna swings in another corner and the saudis survive once more.
      Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
      90+9, Al Shahrani raises a thumbs up for his family and Argentina have one final corner…
      Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
      90+7, Al Shahrani is thankfully back to his feet.
      He will be carried off on the stretcher as Saudi Arabia look to see out the final moments.
      Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
      90+5, Al Shahrani is down on the deck after taking his keeper’s knee to the head.
      Al Owasi looks distressed next to him. This doesn’t look good at all.
      The referee ignored him in the first instance, as he laid there out cold.
      Credit: Getty
      Credit: Getty
      Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
      90+3, Al-Dawsari is frustratingly called offside near the opposition corner flag.
      Argentina can launch at least one more attack.
      Saudi Arabia can taste one of the greatest World Cup upsets in history.
      Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
      90+1, Cleared off the line!
      Al Amiri heads off Alvarez’s effort from the line.
      Al Owais is then booked for complaining.
      And then the flag is raised for offside. What a strange set of events, but Saudi Arabia are still in the lead and that’s all they will care about.
      Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
      90, There will be eight minutes added time.
      If you are just tuning in, this is really happening.
      Credit: Getty
      Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
      89, Renard makes some more changes as the bookings continue to be waved for time wasting.
      Al Amiri and Asir are on.
      Al Abed and Al Buraikan are on.
      Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
      87, Boos ring out as their striker Firas isn’t allowed to come back on.
      Argentina surge forward and Di Maria curls one into Martinez. A heroic Tambakti hooks the ball away from the striker and lumps it up field.
      Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
      86, Firas takes a break off the pitch after picking up a knock. Understandably, he’s in no rush.
      We can expect a fair chunk of added time I’m sure.
      Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
      85, Five minutes of normal time left.
      Argentina haven’t lost a game in which they scored first since 1958!
      They believe.
      Credit: Getty
      Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
      83, Massive chance for Messi!
      Di Maria curls in a ball to the back post where Messi was waiting unmarked.
      His header lacks power and is straight at the keeper.
      Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
      80, It wasn’t to be.
      Messi curls it well over the upright. A wince of disappointment across his face.
      By his standards, that was poor.
      Credit: Reuters
      Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
      78, Messi is clipped on the edge of the area in prime Messi territory.
      The world watches on once more. Can he do it…
      Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
      77, Al Bolehi is booked for time wasting. No surprise really.
      Meanwhile, the referee has to hurry Al Shehri off the pitch, who is very unhappy about being taken off.
      Al Ghannam is on.
      Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
      75, Fernandez gets above his man and meets the corner, but his header goes high and into the stands.
      Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
      74, De Paul slides Martinez in behind Saudi Arabia’s high line but this time Al Owais had read it well, sprinting forward and thumping it up field.
      To think Argentina have had three goals ruled out for offside.
      Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
      72, Fernandez flashes a dangerous ball across the six-yard box, but no one in blue and white had gambled.
      It came back to Messi who slides in Di Maria. His shot is saved, and eventually held on to by Al Owais.
      Argentina are threatening.
      Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
      70, Acuna is on for Tagliafico.
      Load more entries… More

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      Incredible moment Japan fans clean up World Cup stadium in Qatar… and their team ISN’T even playing

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      JAPAN fans continued their custom of cleaning up stadiums at the end of matches – even though their team did not play.Several Japanese fans attended the World Cup opening game between Qatar and Ecuador.
      Japanese fans cleaned the Al Bayt Stadium at the end of Qatar vs Ecuador
      A Qatari fan was so impressed he filmed the supporters cleaning
      Japan fans have cleaned up after matches at previous World Cups
      And at the end of the game they went around the Al Bayt Stadium picking up rubbish and collecting Qatar flags left behind by fans.
      One Qatari fan was so shocked he began filming the group of Japanese supporters before joining in to help.
      He asked why they chose to clean up before hugging one supporter and telling the group how much he respected him.
      A fan explained their actions saying: “We never leave, Japanese never leave rubbish behind us. We respect the place.”
      READ MORE ON THE WORLD CUP
      The Qatari who filmed the video said: “Woah! I thought maybe one or two people. But they are cleaning all around the stadium.
      “This is a thing I heard about but I never thought it was real. Wow! All respect.”
      Japanese fans have a reputation to uphold after cleaning up after themselves at the Russia World Cup in 2018.
      Win, lose or draw they always tidy up and take bin bags to games – including at the 2014 World Cup.
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      Fans on social media were impressed with the clean-up crew with one saying: “They are always very conscientious!”
      Another added: “They are taught this from kindergarten, their discipline is hope for humanity.”
      And a third said: “Without fail, every time.” More

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      Argentina 1 Saudi Arabia 2: Lionel Messi flops in huge World Cup shock as favourites suffer first loss in THREE years

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      A STUNNING game of two halves in a vast stadium where nobody can buy a pint.For Saudi Arabia, this is the most remarkable result in their football history and one which is sending shockwaves through the World Cup.
      Lionel Messi and Argentina were stunned by Saudi ArabiaCredit: Getty
      Saleh Al-Shehri and Firas Al-Buraikan celebrated as they threatened the major shockCredit: Getty
      Argentina keeper Martinez is powerless to stop Salem Al Dawsari’s winning strikeCredit: Reuters
      It was pure joy for Saudi Arabia fans who made the short trip to QatarCredit: Getty
      From a goal down after ten minutes and three hair’s-breadth offside decisions going in their favour in the first half, the Arab minnows came storming back to beat one of the tournament favourites.
      And Argentina’s bewildered skipper Lionel Messi would have been proud to score both the high-quality goals which condemned the two-times world champions to an almighty giant killing.
      He had stabbed his team ahead in the tenth minute by stroking home a penalty following a foul on Juve’s Leandro Paredes.
      It marked the veteran’s 92nd goal in 162 games for his country and it looked like this Group C opener would become another routine rollover.
      READ MORE ON WORLD CUP
      But when Messi and strike partner Lautaro Martinez had a hat-trick of goals ruled out by narrow offsides in the first half, this game began turning on its head.
      The introduction of ultra-sensitive new technology caught them out time and time again but yet there was still a feeling that vastly experienced Messi would lead his in-form team-mates to eventual victory.
      Argentina were unbeaten in 36 games going into a game they were expected to stroll. And maybe that was their biggest mistake. 
      Saudi’s French coach Herve Renard insists his country is not here just for a ‘jolly’ but try wiping the smiles off their faces now.

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      In just five minutes they upended the entire 2022 World Cup with football’s equivalent of an Arab Spring.
      Just three minutes into the second half Saudi forward Saleh Al Shehri picked up a threaded through ball on a run towards the Argentina box but the danger looked well covered.

      Only Tottenham’s normally formidable centre-half Cristian Romero uncharacteristically went all Spursy and shied away from making a tackle.
      Instead, he allowed his opponent to outpace him over five yards then plant a laser-like shot across the face of goal into the opposite corner of the net.

      Salem Al-Dawsari turned on the style with his celebration to match his explosive finishCredit: PA
      Saleh Al-Shehri of Saudi Arabia threaded into the bottom corner to equaliseCredit: Getty
      It was a historic moment for the Middle Eastern nationCredit: Getty
      Devastated Argentina fans couldn’t believe what they were seeingCredit: Getty
      Fans saw their three-year unbeaten run come to an end in shocking fashionCredit: Alamy
      We can only suspect Argentina were in shock because shortly afterwards the entire defence crumbled.
      Saudi’s star man Salem Al Dawsari picked up the ball on the right hand edge of the box.
      A 180-degree turn later he glided past three defenders before striking a rising shot which Aston Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez could only paw into the back of his net.
      Saudi Arabia are 51st in the world, have never been beyond the last 16 at a World Cup and have won only one game at a finals since 1994.
      That shows what this result means to them.
      Seeing the Argentina team on the deck at the final whistle shows what this humiliation means to them.
      Saudi’s heroic rearguard action was topped by a headed clearance off the line by Abdulelah Al Amri in injury time but gallant defender Yasser Al Shahrani was KO’d by a knee to the head from his own keeper.
      The Green Falcons made some incredible clearancesCredit: AFP
      Salem Al-Dawsari struck a super hit into the top cornerCredit: Getty
      Lionel Messi had put Argentina in front with a tenth-minute penaltyCredit: Getty
      There were three tight offsides in the first halfCredit: ITV
      Saudi defended resolutely as they clung on to their leadCredit: AFP
      Yasser Al-Shahrani was carried off on a stretcher after taking a knee to the headCredit: AP More