DOHA: Saudi Arabia stunned Lionel Messi's Argentina on Tuesday, beating the two-time winners 2-1 in one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.
Salem Al-Dawsari hit a stunning winner to sink the red-hot favourites, bringing the South American side's 36-match unbeaten run to a shuddering halt.
The win was fully deserved after Saudi Arabia came from behind after Saleh Al-Shehri cancelled out an early Lionel Messi penalty.
Playing a risky high defensive line, the athletic Saudis rode their luck in the first half when three times Argentina had the ball in the net only to be denied by an offside call.
But in a chaotic start to the second half, the Saudis swarmed all over Lionel Scaloni's team and scored twice as the Arab nation beat the South Americans for the first time in five attempts.
In a first half dominated by Argentina, it seemed only a matter of time before Saudi Arabia's risky defensive tactics would cost them.
That condensed the game into a sliver of green turf around the halfway line as the Asian side happily allowed Argentina's back four to pass the ball among themselves.
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It seemed Saudi Arabia were facing a long afternoon after VAR intervened to award a penalty when Saud Abdulhamid wrestled Leandro Paredes to the ground in the box at a corner.
Messi waited for goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais to dive to his left before cooly rolling the ball into the opposite corner.
But if the Saudis felt aggrieved at the technology, it would later help keep them in the game. Three times Argentina had the ball in the net only to be denied by razor-tight offside calls, the first given by VAR.
There was no controversy about the equaliser three minutes into the second half, though, as Al-Shehri ran onto a touch from Feras Al-Brikan, beat Cristian Romero on the outside and slotted the ball back across goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and into the far corner.
The sizeable Saudi contingent in the Lusail stadium -- where the World Cup final will be held -- exploded in joy.
Suddenly the Argentines were rattled and five minutes later the turnaround was complete.
Al-Dawsari's clever turn in the box beat two defenders before he shifted the ball past a third and rifled an unstoppable shot into the top far corner.
The crowd was going wild and Hassan Al-Tambakti punched the air in delight after his desperate sliding tackle denied Messi a clear shot at goal.
Every Al-Owais save, including a point-blank block from Nicolas Tagliafico's close-range prod, was greeted with rapturous cheers.
There was late drama after Al-Owais collided with Yasser Al-Shahrani and seemed to knock him out as his knee struck the defender's head.
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Cup-sets
In one of the biggest upsets in the history of the World Cup, Argentina lost their opening fixture against Saudi Arabia 1-2 on Tuesday. Here's a look at previous such reversals that are still etched in our minds...
1950 United States 1 England 0
England arrived in Brazil for their first-ever World Cup appearance with much hype around them. Legend has it that their 0-1 loss to the USA was so unbelievable that many newspapers in England attributed it to a typing mistake.
1966 North Korea 1 Italy 0
The build-up to the 1966 World Cup was marred by controversy over FIFA allocating just one spot to Asia and Africa together. It was perhaps fitting that the biggest upset of the tournament was caused by the team that took that spot — North Korea. The loss led to a group stage exit for Italy.
1990 Argentina 0 Cameroon 1
Cameroon was the story of the 1990 World Cup as they became the first African team to reach the quarterfinals of the tournament. The run began with a memorable 1-0 win over defending champions Argentina, captained by Diego Maradona. Cameroon were down to nine men by end, but held on for the win.
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1998 Brazil 1 Norway 2
Brazil were the reigning champions and heavily favoured to retain their title in France. However, they were handed a reality check in their group game as they were beaten 1-2 by Norway. Brazil were leading going into the last ten minutes but two late goals by the Norwegians clinched the game.
2002 France 0 Senegal 1
France were looking near-invincible coming into the 2002 World Cup, reigning both as World and European Champions. They were handed the rudest of shocks in the opening game. Bouba Diop handed Senegal an improbable victory in their first-ever World Cup game. France went on to exit the tournament without a point.
2014 Italy 0 Costa Rica 1
The 2014 World Cup is Italy's ongoing torrid World Cup run began. Their opening game of the tournament saw a 0-1 loss to unfancied Costa Rica, who went on to pip the three-time champions and qualify for the knockout stages. After their group stage exit in 2014, Italy did not qualify for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.