FIFA World Cup: Enner Valencia will play against Netherlands, confirms Ecuador manager
The Ecuador captain was spot on with the penalty kick as he sent the ball into the right-bottom corner, scoring his fourth career World Cup goal
Despite an unexpected 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in their opening game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday, Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni stated that, his team would maintain an optimistic outlook.
When Lionel Messi successfully converted an early penalty at Lusail Stadium, the two-time world champions appeared to be on song for an undefeated start to their Group C campaign.
But second-half goals from Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari gave Saudi Arabia its first-ever triumph over the South American club.
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“We have no other option other than to pick ourselves up,” Scaloni told a news conference, reports Xinhua. “Today was a sad day but we have to keep our heads up and continue.”
Scaloni bemoaned a slew of missed opportunities, pointing out that his team could have put the game to rest by halftime.
Argentina had three goals ruled out in the opening 45 minutes with Lautaro Martinez (twice) and Lionel Messi both being denied by the offside flag as Saudi Arabia deployed a high defensive line.
“The first half was all ours and those offside situations could easily have been goals,” Scaloni said. “In the second half, they had us tied. We will analyse it better later. The players are disappointed by the result but we know we can turn the situation around.”
In order to secure a place in round of 16, Argentina would probably need to win their final two group games against Mexico on Saturday and Poland on the following Wednesday. on the other side both Mexico and Poland played in a 0-0 draw
Argentina lost on Tuesday for the first time in more than three years, snapping a 36-game winning streak that had dated back to the 2019 Copa America.
Following the run, Scaloni’s team fell one game short of Italy’s record of 37 games without a loss set in 2018 and 2021.
“We couldn’t have entered the tournament in better shape,” Scaloni said. “But it’s a reality. These great competitions don’t give you time to make mistakes. Now we have to move on and win each of our next two games,” he added.
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