Saudi Arabia produced one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history as Salem Al-Dawsari's stunning solo effort secured a 2-1 victory over Argentina in Group C at the Lusail Iconic Stadium
Time stood still as Al-Dawsari plucked the ball out from the sky and turned inside two Argentina defenders before curling his finish beyond the reach of Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, producing one of the biggest moments of any World Cup finals
Lionel Messi had given one of the pre-tournament favourites the lead from the penalty spot after a contentious VAR decision (10) but Saleh Al-Shehri levelled just three minutes into the second period to set up an almighty upset
The result ended Argentina's 36-game unbeaten run, stretching back to defeat against Brazil three years ago but this was the greatest day in Saudi Arabian football history
"This hurts a lot
 We were dreaming of starting the World Cup with a win," said Messi's strike partner Lautaro Martinez
 "But it's happened and now we have to train and think forward
"We lost this game because of our own mistakes, most of all in the second half
 There are details that make a difference and we need to correct our mistakes
"When Argentina last lost their opening World Cup group game in 1990 - against Cameroon - they went on to reach the final where they lost to Germany, but that will be of little consolation to the South Americans right now following defeat to the nation ranked 51st in world football
Saudi Arabia failed to have a single shot in the first half and have history when it comes to a lowly strike rate in front of goal
 Since 1966, of the ten instances of a team failing to attempt a shot in the first half of a match, Saudi have achieved that unwanted blank on three occasions - making what happened against Argentina all the more unlikely
Midfielder Abdulelah Al-Malki said the Saudis were fired up like never before by their coach Herve Renard - who was sacked by Cambridge United in 2004
"Renard made us cry with the motivation before the match and stoked us up during half-time," he said, affectionately calling the Frenchman "crazy"
The entire game was played in an extraordinary atmosphere at the Lusail Stadium, with Argentina's traditionally massive and raucous following matched by the thousands of Saudis who had come over the border to cheer on their team
Referee Slavko Vincic awarded Argentina a penalty upon VAR review after 10 minutes when Leandro Paredes had his shirt pulled by Saud Abdulhamid inside the box
Messi made no mistake, becoming the fifth player to score at four different World Cup tournaments after Pelé, Uwe Seeler, Miroslav Klose and Cristiano Ronaldo
Three times Argentina were then denied by the offside flag in the first half with Messi thwarted on one occasion before Lautaro Martinez twice found the net only to be ruled out by VAR
The game turned on its head within three minutes of the restart, however, with Al-Shehri capitalising on hesitancy from Cristian Romero to find the bottom corner
If the Saudis inside the stadium looked on speechless with the rest of the world, they had barely regained their breath when Al-Dawsari brought the ball down inside the Argentina box, danced inside Nahuel Molina and Angel Di Maria and curled a right-foot shot high into the far corner to seal a triumph against all the odds
"Our team fulfils our dreams!" and "Where is Messi? We beat him!", the green-clad Saudis chanted over and over in the Lusail Stadium, on their feet and greeting every clearance from their defence with a deafening roar
Both teams have Mexico and Poland to come, with Argentina needing an immediate reaction if Messi is to have a realistic chance of matching Diego Maradona's immortality in his homeland by bringing home the World Cup
The result broke Argentina's amazing 36-match undefeated run and stopped them from matching the previous international record of 37 games unbeaten held by Italy
"It's a situation that this group of players has never been through, it's been a while since we suffered such a tough blow, we didn't expect to start like this," Messi told Argentinian media
"In five minutes of mistakes that we made, we went 2-1 down and then it was really tough and we lost organisation and started punting the ball," he said in comments broadcast by Todo Noticias
"We knew they were a team who would play if we let them
 They did not surprise us, we knew they could do that
""Obviously we have to win or win now
 It's up to us to fix what we did wrong and get back to the basics of who we are
 We're OK, obviously hurt by the result, very bitter
 But people must trust that this team will not let them down and we are going to go for it in the next two games
 We've played games of this nature before and we're going to perform well
"Now's the time to be more united than ever, to show how truly strong we are
""He doesn't know where the ball is
 He's only interested in an Argentina player
 He doesn't know when it's been kicked and I think that is a penalty for me
"He's not looking at the ball, the directive from the referees is that's a penalty
""No, no, no, all this will do is encourage diving
 He (Otamendi) is dragging (Abdulhamid) down
""Roy, you're not listening
 It's a directive from the referees
 This is not about opinions, this is about fact, the guy wasn't looking at the ball
 "I'm here to give my opinion: that's not a penalty
" "This is not about our opinions, this is about the laws of the game
" "I'm here to give my opinion: that's not a penalty
" "I've heard you say it 10 times, let someone else speak
 You'll learn a lot more if you listen
 He's not looking at the ball, the directive from the referees is that's a penalty
 We have to accept it
""Lionel Messi looked shell-shocked at the final whistle
 This may not yet be a defining defeat for Argentina's World Cup hopes but it was a humbling story to send shockwaves around the world
"The little magician didn't know where to turn
 Surrounded at one point in stoppage time deep in Saudi Arabia's penalty box, Messi ran out of ideas
"One free-kick had already sailed harmlessly over the bar
 Quite where the second half came from is anyone's guess
 Argentina looked in total control and appeared unaffected by the three disallowed goals during a one-sided opening period
"No matter, we will score again soon - that was the misplaced sentiment
 But the chances dried up
 The emboldened Yasser Al-Shahrani alongside the imperious Hassan Al-Tambakti formed a wall as tall as the Jabal Sawda
 On one occasion, Al-Tambakti celebrated a sliding tackle on Messi as though he had won the World Cup
"This was their final, but no nation in Group C will now fancy facing them in the coming days
 After just a second World Cup win in 28 years, head coach Renard will be confident of masterminding more success against Poland and Mexico
"Defensively, this was as close to perfection as you're likely to see as Lionel Scaloni threw on Manchester City's Julian Alvarez
 It was some forward line by the end - garnishing players from Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Inter Milan - but the nation ranked outside of the world's top 50 would not be beaten
"Al-Shahrani was forced off with a sickening head injury in stoppage time but his heroics had epitomised these fearless Falcons as a collective
 The group has well and truly been ripped wide open
"Argentina were on the end of one of the greatest shocks in the history of the World Cup after losing 2-1 to Saudi Arabia in their opening Group C clash on Tuesday, but perhaps the most worrying aspect of the defeat for one of the pre-tournament favourites was that it was no fluke by the underdogs
Lionel Scaloni's side arrived at Qatar 2022 unbeaten in their previous 36 matches, a run that included winning the 2021 Copa America, and with hopes high that Messi could finally get his hands on the Jules Rimet trophy
Heading into half-time at the Lusail Iconic Stadium, everything was going according to plan as far as Messi and Co were concerned, leading 1-0, and yet less than 10 minutes into the second half, they found themselves trailing