Saudi Arabia Beats Argentina in Massive World Cup Upset

Heavily favored Argentina took a 1-0 lead at the 10 minute mark on a penalty kick by superstar Lionel Messi in its World Cup opener against Saudi Arabia, but the Saudis roared back, scoring twice in five minutes early in the second half to pull off one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history, winning 2-1.

Argentina’s national team has been one of the elite team on the international scene, and is ranked #3 in the world by FIFA, while Saudi Arabia is #51. Argentina won the World Cup in 1978 and 1986, and has been runner up in 1930, 1990, and 2014. The Argentine team also suffered a major upset in 1990, losing to Cameroon in that Cup’s opener, though they recovered to finish runner up. Still, no one wants to be at the bottom of the Group standings, even after just one match. The Saudis lead Group C with three points with the win, while Poland and Mexico each have one after playing a scoreless tie.

Elsewhere, the United States returned to the World Cup after failing to qualify four years ago. The U.S. team is building for the future and is one of the youngest at the tournament. The U.S. and Wales played to a 1-1 tie in a game that the Americans dominated in the first half but couldn’t finish. Gareth Bale scored for Wales on a penalty kick in the 82nd minute to tie it up, and although that was the only goal of the second half, Wales outplayed the U.S. in that half. Wales hasn’t been to a World Cup since 1958; they reached the quarterfinals that year. The U.S. team faces a formidable challenge next when they play England on November 25th. England won over Iran in a blowout 6-2 in its opener.