Saudi Arabia beat Argentina. The title could just be this, actually. A team that only made it past the group stage of a World Cup on one occasion has beaten another that has already won it twice and played two more finals. A team whose coach assumed that it would be difficult to advance beat another that is one of the favorites to win the trophy. Saudi Arabia even beat Argentina.
Now, taking into account the unexpected result – which should have made the adventurers who cast a vote of confidence in the Saudis in the betting shops happy and richer – the simplest interpretations quickly emerge: It was luck, it was a demerit for Argentina, it was Saudi Arabia as it could be any other. The numbers, or even the statistics, show that this was not the case.
???????? 89′ | ???????? Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia ???????
Al-Tocarro?
Not really#Qatar2022 #FIFA World Cup #ARGKSA #MUNDIALnaSPORTTV pic.twitter.com/GFBEZILfR2
— GoalPoint (@_Goalpoint) November 22, 2022
From the start, Hervé Renard’s team demonstrated above-average efficiency, scoring twice from their two shots on goal. Something that is not exactly a surprise: Saudi Arabia had the highest shot conversion rate in Asian World Cup qualifiers and Salah Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari, the authors of Tuesday’s goals, were also the top contributors with goals and assists throughout throughout the qualifying phase for Qatar. .
Then the first line of elevated construction. Contrary to what one might expect, the Saudis did not put the “bus in front of the goal” and spread the team around the pitch, presenting high pressing that did not give Argentina much space. The approach could have become suicidal, since Lionel Scaloni’s team set out to explore depth with speed in the corridors from the beginning. The Saudi Arabia trap? The offside.
???????? END | ???????? Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia ???????
Argentina had never been caught offside so many times (10) in World Cup matches
The worst record (9) dates from 1982, against Hungary#SaudiMasterclass#Qatar2022 #FIFA World Cup #ARGKSA #MUNDIALnaSPORTTV pic.twitter.com/s0VYbp4dZj
— GoalPoint (@_Goalpoint) November 22, 2022
Renard’s team proved to be excellent by applying the mousetrap of the irregular position and it was precisely in this way that three goals from the Argentines ended up annulled by VAR for offside. The Saudi strategy was brilliant to the point that, in the history of the World Championships, There has never been a game where Argentina has been caught offside so many times, there have been 10.
In the middle, Lionel Messi. If it is true that the defeat of the Argentine team cannot be explained by the gray performance of the PSG player -among other things because this team depends much less on the captain than in previous years-, it is also true that Messi only touched the ball 65 times , the sixth best record. The 35-year-old striker did not appear to be at his best a day after arriving with a badly swollen ankle. and in a week when he missed a training session due to a muscular problem, but it was only the face of a poorly achieved collective performance.
The first day of the rest of Messi’s life was anything but training against the green vests (Argentina-Saudi Arabia chronicle)
Lastly, the fans. Saudi Arabia was not playing at home, but it seemed so, as this is the first World Cup in the Arab world and the Saudi fans did not miss the opportunity to support the team in the stands. Against an Argentine stain that is naturally characterized by the passion and emotion with which football lives, The Saudi Arabian cheerleading squad proved that the strength displayed by players on the field begins and originates in a country that does, in fact, have a soccer culture.
Source: Observadora
