Will Saudi Arabia be second time 'lucky' against Messi's Argentina at Qatar World Cup?

The final round of group-stage matches has begun with Netherlands and Senegal qualifying for the knockout stage from Group A. In Group B, England and the USA made it to the knockout stage after a hard-fought win. The attention now switches to Day 11 where Group C matches will take place with Poland, Argentina, Saudi Arabia and Mexico all fighting for the top two places. Argentina faces Poland and Saudi Arabia will face Mexico to determine the winners and runner-up in the group. 

Qatar World Cup: Saudi Arabia look to knock out Argentina for the second time 

Saudi Arabia started their campaign at the Qatar World Cup with the biggest upset in the history of the tournament by beating Lionel Messi-led Argentina in the opening match. However, the loss to Poland in the second fixture derailed their journey towards the knockout stage. As the Green Falcons face Mexico in the final group stage match, they have a chance to upset Lionel Messi's Argentina for the second time but this time it would be the end of the journey for the 2014 finalists.

Saudi Arabia needs to win their match against Mexico to seal their place in the Round of 16. A defeat would see Saudi Arabia getting knocked out of the World Cup. Apart from victory, a draw will also be enough for Saudi Arabia to qualify for the knockout stage but they would like Poland to beat Argentina. But if Poland manages to hold Argentina to a draw, then Argentina will have to hope that Saudi Arabia doesn’t beat Mexico, because if they do, they will have six points and they will advance with Poland.

What happened when Saudi Arabia faced Argentina in Qatar 2022 opener?

The  Argentina vs Saudi Arabia match was expected to be a contest where  La Albiceleste was expected to pick up a comfortable victory. Lionel Messi opened the scoring for th team through a penalty. However, goals by Saleh Alshehri and Salem Aldawsari in a five-minute span early in the second half gave the Saudis a landmark result.  Aldawsari's winning goal was even more special as who brought down a high ball just inside the penalty area, spun his way past Nahuel Molina before dribbling past Leandro Paredes and driving a powerful shot to the far corner.