“I was very scared” - Lionel Messi admits he feared for Argentina’s 2022 FIFA World Cup hopes after calamitous Saudi Arabia defeat

Argentina icon Lionel Messi has admitted that he was terrified after his country fell to a disastrous group-stage defeat in the 2022 FIFA World Cup opener.

Messi and Co. played sensational football over the course of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, eventually beating France in the final to be crowned world champions. Very few, however, would have backed them to bring home the gold after the disastrous start they had.

La Albiceleste lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia in their Group C opener in Qatar, with second-half goals from Saleh Alshehri and Salem Aldawasari sending the Asians into pandemonium. Argentina pulled up their socks after the defeat and went on to win the next six matches, starting with a 2-0 victory over Mexico in Group C matchday two.

Lionel Messi, who scored Argentina’s only goal from the spot against Saudi Arabia, recently had a chat with Argentine outlet Diario Ole, where he opened up about the shocking game.

All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷

@AlbicelesteTalk

Messi on Saudi Arabia game: “Obviously I was very scared because the game didn't turn out as we expected. But all the strength of the group was shown after the game we won against Mexico, everything was strengthened. Against Arabia, it was one of our worst games.” @DiarioOle 🗣️

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Messi on Saudi Arabia game: “Obviously I was very scared because the game didn't turn out as we expected. But all the strength of the group was shown after the game we won against Mexico, everything was strengthened. Against Arabia, it was one of our worst games.” @DiarioOle 🗣️🇦🇷 https://t.co/aBCBd7z9P2

The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star admitted that he was fearful of his country’s World Cup chances after the setback but claimed that it all changed after the Mexico win.

“Obviously I was very scared because the game didn't turn out as we expected,” Messi said (via AlbicelesteTalk).

“But all the strength of the group was shown after the game we won against Mexico, everything was strengthened. Against Arabia, it was one of our worst games.”

Messi scored seven goals and claimed three assists to fire Argentina to glory at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He was awarded the Golden Ball for his heroic displays over the course of the tournament.

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Lionel Messi breaks huge Cristiano Ronaldo record after PSG’s win over Montpellier

Lionel Messi was on the scoresheet as PSG secured a 3-1 win over Montpellier in Ligue 1 on Wednesday night (1 February). The goal took the Argentina superstar’s Ligue 1 tally to 14 for the season and saw him break a massive Cristiano Ronaldo record.

The strike marked Messi’s 697th goal in the top five European leagues. Ronaldo, who joined Al-Nassr in January, has thus far scored 696 goals in 918 matches. More impressively, Messi, who is two years younger than Ronaldo, has taken 84 games fewer to break the Portuguese’s record.

Frank Khalid OBE

@FrankKhalidUK

Ronaldo, Lewandowski, Benzema never scored 50 non-penalty goals in a single season. Lionel Messi did it THREE times.

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Ronaldo, Lewandowski, Benzema never scored 50 non-penalty goals in a single season. Lionel Messi did it THREE times. https://t.co/7K4dsUqXXv

Unless the soon-to-be 38-year-old Ronaldo makes a dramatic return to the top tier of European football, Messi’s record will remain untouched for the foreseeable future.

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