A shock defeat at the hands of Saudi Arabia in their tournament opener has brought Argentina fans, who were dreaming of a World Cup title after a 36-game unbeaten run in the leadup to the tournament, right back down to Earth.
This Argentina team appeared a far-cry from the juggernaut the fans, both at home and those who travelled to the Middle East, had expected to see. The 2-1 result was made more concerning by the manner of the defeat, as the Arabians seemed faster, stronger, and determined to attack rather than sit back and defend.
The Argentines defence was not up to the mark from the beginning, with Sergio Romero and Nicolas Otamendi struggling from the kick off.
The two defenders are among the stronger players in the Argentine squad, with Romero plying his trade for Tottenham in the English Premier League and Otamendi playing for Portuguese Club Benfica and having previously won the EPL with Manchester City. However, they both suffered from a lack of protection from their midfield and the full backs amid the Saudi Arabian onslaught.
After a Messi penalty gave Argentina the lead against the run of play in the first half, Argentina caught out the Arabians with several blistering counter-attacks but were denied goals by the offside line. It was then the Argentine centre-backs who were left scrambling when Saleh Alshehri equalized with Saudi Arabia's first shot on target in the 48th minute.
Just five minutes later, the Argentine defenders were left scrambling again and failed to stop Salem Al-Dawsari from netting a stunning winner from around 20 yards out.
After Saudia Arabia took the lead, Argentina made a rash of substitutions and grew into the game. The team looked much more solid and composed with the entry of Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez for Romero, while Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez provided some much needed energy to the attack.
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However, a lack of control and creativity in midfield was evident throughout the game, and it was no surprise that Messi got little opportunity to show his skills in the attacking third, but credit must be given to the back-five of the opponents, especially goalkeeper Mohammad Al-Owais.
With tough matches against Poland and Mexico to follow, Argentina's advancement to the knockout stages is now in some serious doubt.
When Messi was at his peak and had more superstar players around him than now in Qatar, the team reached the final on Brazillian soil eight years ago, and that remains South America's best performance in the last three World Cups.
Angel di Maria, then at Real Madrid, was enjoying better form, and the likes of Manchester City trio Sergio Aguero, Pablo Zabaleta and Martin Demichelis, along with Barcelona's defensive general Javier Mascherano gave the team much needed solidity.
They narrowly escaped the group following a draw against Iceland in the opener and defeat against Croatia.
The Albiceleste eventually lost to Kylian Mbappe's France in the second round.
This time, the squad lacks both the quality and star presence of the previous ones, which was severely exposed during the game against an enthusiastic Saudi Arabia side.
Messi, probably playing his last World Cup, was well aware of the situation. He indicated as much by not backing his side as top favorites during the pre-tournament press conference, and put France, Brazil and England ahead instead.
The Argentine great also said it is his “last chance to achieve this great dream that we all have.” On the basis of Argentina's World Cup opener, that dream may never become reality.
