FIFA WORLD CUP - QATAR 2022 ⚽️🇶🇦

Live reporting by Joseph Kizza
(Refresh this page for updates. All times indicated are EAT)
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12:04 am  |   FULL TIME: ARGENTINA WIN

🇦🇷  Argentina 2-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

A nation prayed. A nation hoped. A nation believed. And the big man delivered.

I can't add more to this. Thank you for following the action here. Will be back on Sunday for more coverage. Cheers!

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12:02 am  |   FULL TIME: ARGENTINA WIN

🇦🇷  Argentina 2-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Well, well, well. Group C is now nicely poised ahead of the final around of group fixtures. Poland take on Argentina while Saudi Arabia face Mexico. It is still an open group, this one.

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11:57 pm  |   FULL TIME: ARGENTINA WIN

🇦🇷  Argentina 2-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

GAME, SET, MATCH.

Once again, the Messi magic does it for Argentina, who collect the much-need loot to stay in it and climb to second of Group C.

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90 (+3) mins 

🇦🇷  Argentina 2-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Lusail Stadium is drowned in song and praise.
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90 mins 

🇦🇷  Argentina 2-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

SIX MINUTES OF ADDED TIME.
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89 mins  |    🟨  YELLOW CARD - Alvarado

🇦🇷  Argentina 2-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Roberto Alvarado gets in the referee's book in the closing stages of this contest.
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87 mins  |   ⚽️  GOAL! - Fernandez (Argentina)

🇦🇷  Argentina 2-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Enzo Fernandez delivers the dagger! Lusail Stadium rocking! Buenos Aires rocking!

And what a beauty of a goal that is after Messi turns from scorer to provider!

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86 mins

🇦🇷  Argentina 1-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

On the other end, meanwhile, Messi and co are on a counter-attack. Jesús Gallardo defends well by sweeping the ball out of play but he ends up also clipping Rodrigo De Paul to leave the Argentine with a niggle.
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84 mins

🇦🇷  Argentina 1-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Mexico are not sitting back any more. They cannot afford to. So they dig deeper for an equaliser.
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81 mins

🇦🇷  Argentina 1-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Argentina give away a freekick inside their own half. Mexico will gladly have it.

The ball is swept into the fully occupied Argentina box but an attempt to head the ball back into the heart of the goalmouth has Emiliano Martínez spring up nicely to comfortably collect and nestle the ball in the safety of his gloves.
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80 mins

🇦🇷  Argentina 1-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

TEN MINUTES (plus added time) TO GO!
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78 mins

🇦🇷  Argentina 1-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Messi has switched into a different gear now. Clearly, he is inspiring his team to put this contest to bed. But the Mexicans are saying: NOT. JUST. YET.

The crowd is very much alive.
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73 mins  |  🔁  SUBSTITUTION (Mexico)

🇦🇷  Argentina 1-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

What more can Mexico do? If the scoreline ends like this, they will be bottom of Group C. They throw on more fresh legs to make an impact.

An exhausted Hirving Lozano is brought off and is replaced by Roberto Alvarado.
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69 mins  |  🔁  SUBSTITUTION (Argentina)

🇦🇷  Argentina 1-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

More changes - this time from the Argentina camp. Exequiel Palacios is introduced, replacing Alexis Mac Allister. Goal provider Angel Di Maria is also taken off and on comes Cristian Gabriel Romero.
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66 mins  |  🔁  SUBSTITUTION (Mexico)

🇦🇷  Argentina 1-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

And almost instantly, Mexico make reforms. Alexis Vega is off and Uriel Antuna is introduced. Kevin Alvarez is also taken off to give way for Raul Jimenez.
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65 mins

🇦🇷  Argentina 1-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

At eight World Cup goals in 21 matches, Messi has now matched the late Diego Maradona's accomplishment (both goals and appearances). And from the look of it, he could even better that.

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64 mins  |  ⚽️  GOAL! - Messi (Argentina)

🇦🇷  Argentina 1-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

BREAKTHROUGH! Lionel Messi puts Argentina in front. Persistance pays off and the main man rises to the occasion - and what a pass from Di Maria!

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62 mins  |  🔁  SUBSTITUTION - Argentina

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Julian Alvarez replaces Lautaro Martinez while Nahuel Molina is on for Gonzalo Montiel.
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61 mins  |  🔁  SUBSTITUTION - Argentina

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Argentina are asking all sorts of questions inside the Mexican final third.

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58 mins  |  🔁  SUBSTITUTION - Argentina

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Guido Rodriguez is off and on comes Enzo Fernandez for the first change of the second half.
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56 mins

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Di Maria is causing all sorts of problems for his minders on the right flank - the Juventus forward twisting and turning past the likes of Érick Gutiérrez and Jesús Gallardo. A very difficult player to mark, the Argentine.
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54 mins

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

A dangerous ball is fed into the Mexico box by Di Maria, but the devillish cross is blocked and harried out of the danger zone.
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51 mins

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

A very unMessy-like freekick flies over the bar and boos ring out across the effervescent stadium. They expected better from the PSG forward, no doubt.
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49 mins  |  🟨  YELLOW CARD - Gutiérrez

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Érick Gutiérrez, driven by necessity, downs a slaloming Messi to prevent the Argentina number 10 from waltzing into the Mexico box. A yellow card for the PSV midfielder and a freekick for Argentina as a result - and you-know-who will take it.
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47 mins

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Back where we left off.  The ball is ping-ponged from one end of the pitch to the other. One attack carries some threat but the Mexicans can't link up in the Argentina final third.
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11:06 pm   |  SECOND HALF UNDER WAY

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

There are 22 players on the pitch, but no prizes for guessing who is soaking up the most attention.

His side get the ball rolling for second-half action.

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10:53 pm   |  HALF TIME: NO BREAKTHROUGH

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Forty-five minutes gone. A goalless affair. Which coach will be happier?
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45 (+5) mins  

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Timely sliding block by César Montes inside the Mexican box and Argentina have a corner, which will be taken and be the last action of what has been a physical opening-half battle.

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45 (+4) mins  

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

CHANCE! Mexico release a quick throw, which gets to the feet of Alexis Vega. The Guadalajara forward fancies his chance and lets rip. It is a wild effort that sends the ball into the green field of spectators behind Martínez's goal.
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45 mins  

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

FIVE MINUTES OF ADDED TIME.

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44 mins  

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

GREAT SAVE! Alexis Vega draws Emiliano Martínez into a fine save from a long-distance freekick.

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43 mins   |  🟨  YELLOW CARD - Montiel

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Gonzalo Montiel goes in the referee's book for catching first-half substitute Érick Gutiérrez.
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42 mins   |  🔁  SUBSTITUTION - Mexico

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Mexico are forced to make an early substitution. Andres Guardado has picked up an injury and has to make way for Érick Gutiérrez.
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39 mins  

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

CHANCE! The men in blue and white stripes have a corner and elect to take it short. Messi, the recipient of the pass, curls the ball into the box, which teammate Lautaro Martínez rises to connect, but the Inter Milan's header is not low enough and floats over the bar.
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37 mins  

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Following their 1-2 defeat against Saudi Arabia, Argentina are looking to avoid losing both of their first games at a single edition of the World Cup for the first time in their history.

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34 mins  

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

The Argentine maestro goes for goal by curling the ball in, but Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa punches the goal-bound effort clear and high but still inside his box to cause more commotion.

There is an infringement on one of the Mexico players and the referee stops the action. Freekick to the men in green and white.
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33 mins  

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Alexis Vega downs Rodrigo De Paul on the right flank to gift Argentina another freekick. It is a very physical affair, this.

Messi to whip it in.

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28 mins  

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

The Mexican defender is back on his feet and rejoins the end-to-end action.
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27 mins  

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

A freekick is awarded against Marcos Acuña after the Sevilla defender ankles Kevin Álvarez on the edge of the line, before dipping a high cross into Messi's path - whose header flies way over the bar. Had it gone in, it wouldn't have counted, as the referee had already noticed the foul committed on the left corner area in the buildup.

Álvarez receives on-pitch medical attention.
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24 mins  

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Quick inter-play between Messi and co ends with the ball being slid into the path of Gonzalo Montiel on the right, who then cuts a through-pass into the Mexico goalmouth but fails to find a teammate.
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22 mins   |  🟨  YELLOW CARD - Araujo

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Nestor Araujo is the first man to be booked in this game - for a stab on defender Marcos Acuña.
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20 mins   

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Emiliano Martínez leaps off his line to collect a deep cross into the box from a Mexico freekick. Héctor Herrera puts him under pressure, but the Aston Villa glovesman nestles the ball after it initially slips through his grasp.
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18 mins   

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Lautaro Martínez appears to raise his boot towards a low-advancing Andrés Guardado as the two players vie for the ball.

The referee feels the Argentine forward was a little ambitious for his liking. The latter doesn't, but despite the two having a laugh about it, the Italian referee sticks to his decision. Freekick to Mexico.
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15 mins   

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Juventus man Ángel Di María, playing his 15th World Cup match for Argentina, has a rare lapse in concentration and gets dispossessed in the midfield, but he is glad to see teammate Lisandro Martínez slide to his rescue to extinguish a Mexico attack.
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13 mins   

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

For you the stats lovers, here is one ... Argentina have lost four of their last six World Cup matches (won one, drawn one), as many as they had in their previous 25 in the competition (won 16, drawn five). 
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12 mins   

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Messi and co have not imposed themselves in this game the way their huge following want them to. But it is early days here. For now, it is the Mexicans that are on the front foot.

From the very first minute, the crowd has not dipped in voice. What an atmosphere!

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9 mins   

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

CHANCE! The ball has remained in the Argentina half, with Mexico having another freekick. Down on the left flank, Luis Chávez sweeps the ball into the box but it is bouncy and escapes everyone.
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8 mins   

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

A poor Mexico corner kick is taken too low to trouble the Argentina defence, who clear the ball beyond any lingering danger. Should have whipped the ball into the fray, me thinks.
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6 mins   

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Montiel is back up and action resumes.
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5 mins    |   💥 OUCH! - Montiel (Argentina)

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Gonzalo Montiel is down. And attracts the referee's attention, who pauses play to have the Argentina defender attended to by the physios. The Sevilla man got knocked by a blitzering Alexis Vega, an impact that sent him tumbling onto the ground.
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3 mins   

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Ángel Di María and Messi try to work out something, but the looming danger they are trying to inspire is snuffed out.
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2 mins   

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

The stadium is in full voice as the ball gets tapped from player to player. It has kissed both halves of this beautiful stadium.

Lionel Messi, meanwhile, is not messing around in the middle of the pack, inspiring an early Argentina attack - but which results in a Mexico goal kick.
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10:00 pm    |   KICKOFF! - We are under way!

🇦🇷  Argentina 0-0 Mexico 🇲🇽

Italian referee Daniele Orsato handled the opening game between Qatar and Ecuador. He is the man in charge of this one.

Game on!
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9:54 pm 

🇦🇷  Argentina v Mexico 🇲🇽 (10pm)

AND THEY ARE FINALLY OUT - each player walking out holding the hand of a child, who are all privileged to be marching out with global footballing stars. They will definitely have plenty of stories to tell their mates when school resumes.
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9:51 pm 

🇦🇷  Argentina v Mexico 🇲🇽 (10pm)

It is the fancy pyrotechnics on full display inside a flashy Lusail Stadium as fans enjoy the spectacle. Inside the tunnel, the two sets of players wait patiently to be invited out to a heavily expectant crowd.

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9:37 pm 

🇦🇷  Argentina v Mexico 🇲🇽 (10pm)

Twenty-three minutes to kickoff and Lusail Stadium in Lusail, north of Doha is bubbling with colour and noise. A perfect atmosphere for a Latin American footballing battle!

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9:34 pm  |   Tonight's starting lineups

🇦🇷  Argentina v Mexico 🇲🇽 (10pm)

ARGENTINA: Emiliano Martinez (GK), Gonzalo Montiel, Lisandro Martinez, Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Acuna, Rodrigo De Paul, Guido Rodriguez, Alexis Mac Allister, Angel Di Maria, Lionel Messi (C), Lautaro Martinez

MEXICO: Guillermo Ochoa (GK), Jesus Gallardo, Hector Moreno, Cesar Montes, Nestor Araujo, Kevin Alvarez; Luis Chavez, Andres Guardado (C), Hector Herrera, Alexis Vega, Hirving Lozano
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9:30 pm  |   Mbappe fires France into last-16

🇦🇷  Argentina v Mexico 🇲🇽 (10pm)

Meanwhile, if your eyes have been roving around like mine have, then you may have watched defending champions France beat Denmark 2-1 in Group D - about half-an-hour ago - to become the first nation to advance to the Round of 16 at this edition - after winning their first two games.

And certain PSG man was responsible for Les Bleus' early progression into the next round.

Kylian Mbappe scored on either side of Denmark's Andreas Christensen's second half strike to power France into the last-16.

The 23-year-old's two goals placed him level with Zinedine Zidane as the country's seventh-highest goal scorer at 31 goals.
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9:24 pm  |   Lewandowski finally gets WC goal

🇦🇷  Argentina v Mexico 🇲🇽 (10pm)

In Group C's earlier game, Robert Lewandowski finally found the missing piece to his illustrious goalscoring puzzle: a World Cup goal. The 34-year-old Barcelona striker scored Poland's second goal in a 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia, having set up Piotr Zielinski for the opener.

That victory means Poland climbed to the summit of the group ahead of tonight's Latin American clash. Depending on the outcome of this upcoming game, the Poles will either remain on top or slide down to second.

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9:17 pm  |   More history backs Argentina

🇦🇷  Argentina v Mexico 🇲🇽 (10pm)

Meanwhile, Argentina's defeat against Saudi Arabia in their opening match ended a run of 13 straight World Cup victories against non-European nations - since losing to Cameroon way back in 1990.

But the South American giants have never lost consecutive World Cup matches against non-European sides before. Mexico, take note.
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9:15 pm  |   History favours Messi and co

🇦🇷  Argentina v Mexico 🇲🇽 (10pm)

Well, tonight presents the perfect opportunity for Lionel Scaloni's Argentina to redeem their very high World Cup credentials - and La Albiceleste have history backing them.

Mexico have lost all three of their World Cup games against Argentina. They lost 3-6 in 1930, 1-2 in 2006 and 1-3 in 2010. Only Austria (four against Italy) and Nigeria (five against Argentina) have faced an opponent more often in the competition and lost every time.

But I should warn you not to get carried away so easily. We have seen history rewritten at this tournament already. For instance, Qatar became the first team to be eliminated from the 2022 World Cup - with a game to spare - which is the earliest exit by a host nation in the competition's nine-decades-long history.

Qatar had already become the first host nation to lose their opening World Cup match after a 0-2 defeat against Ecuador, before falling 1-3 to African champions Senegal in their second game. Netherlands' 1-1 draw with Ecuador on Friday all but ended the hosts' slim hopes of making it out of the group.

South Africa are the only other host nation to exit at the group stage. So, as you can see from Qatar's tale, history indeed can be rewritten at this edition.
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9:10 pm  |   Argentina felt Saudi sucker punch

🇦🇷  Argentina v Mexico 🇲🇽 (10pm)

You would only be just waking up from some deep hibernation to wonder what on earth I am talking about. But even in your deep sleep, I am sure you must have felt shockwaves rock the footballing world on Tuesday this week when a certain Saudi Arabia team stunned a certain Argentina side in Group C's opening match in a 1-2 result.

The one other shock story similar to that result that instantly comes to my mind is Leicester City winning the English Premier League in 2015-16.

In Tuesday's historic upset in Qatar, Lionel Messi gave competition favorites Argentina the perfect start to their 2022 World Cup campaign when he converted a penalty 10 minutes into the David-versus-Goliath contest.

From then on, there was an inevitable sense of foreboding for Hervé Renard's Saudi Arabia side, as their star-studded and more illustrious opponents thrice had the ball in the back of the net in the first half, but with every strike ruled out for offside.

What the watching world - including me - definitely didn't sense is that those disallowed goals were instead ominous for a South American side that have won the World Cup two times and have been losing finalists three times.

Somehow, the Green Falcons managed to tame Messi and co for the rest of the first half and returned for the second half trailing by only a goal.

Then the fairytale comeback began. Saleh Al Shehri got on the end of a long ball and beat Argentina's keeper on the far corner to put the Saudis back on level terms three minutes after the restart. If that equaliser spilled your drink, then the stunning winner by Salem Al Dawsari five minutes later must have knocked you off your perch!

There were still a whole 37 minutes left to play since that third goal of the game.

But Saudi Arabia held on to deliver the mother of all sucker punches that left Argentina requiring a great deal of soul-searching ahead of their next match against Mexico four days away - which kicks off tonight at 10pm.

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9:00 pm  |   Redemption time

🇦🇷  Argentina v Mexico 🇲🇽 (10pm)

IT ALL STARTED AS PLANNED . . .

THEN THE SCRIPT CHANGED DRAMATICALLY . . .

WHAT NOW, LEO? WHAT ARE YOU COOKING IN YOUR GENIUS HEAD?