Argentina’s fall against Saudi Arabia may have set them on a shining path

16-Dec-2022 11:46:19 | The Guardian

If France are taking hope from their World Cup final opponents’ defeat in their first match, then they really ought to think again

It may feel as if a sporting lifetime has passed since Saudi Arabia turned Argentina over, but it was only three and a half weeks ago. A massive shock that animated the whole World Cup, it begged many questions, not least about the prospects for Lionel Messi and his team at this tournament.

It turned out that those prospects were rosy, and any footballing obituaries now seem hasty as Argentina have since won five games on the trot in Qatar to stand 90 minutes (or 120, or 145 with injury time) from history. On reflection, then, the Saudi upset seems even more extraordinary. Given Argentina’s 36-game unbeaten run going into the tournament, what was it that the Green Falcons had that dozens of other teams did not?