00:06Good morning everyone, especially to those of you with headphones in at work, there are 64 teams and 831 other
00:14players in Qatar vying to be world champions over the next month, but if the romantics have their way, Argentina
00:23will win it, and Lionel Messi will ride off into the international sunset, having played
00:30a pivotal role, the World Cups break hearts as often as they get them thumping, and it will only happen
00:41if everyone else in the Argentina team finds their rhythm too, Messi has won.
00:54There's Messi, first save, that goalkeeper might be busy, didn't take long for them to get in the groove, well
01:05dare I say he should score virtually his first kicker.
01:10Messi's delivery, there was a bit of pushing going on inside the box, and I thought Hamid was involved in
01:16it, has given the penalty.
01:23Well Argentina, 15 games in World Cup qualifying, but he hasn't come up against the player like this.
01:30It's Messi for Argentina, it's simple, it's easy, it's 1-0.
01:40And you rather suspect that Saudi Arabia are facing an uphill battle now.
01:46Well Joe Cole said it, stay in the game as long as you can, all of a sudden, nine minutes
01:53gone, they feel the worst for Saudi Arabia.
02:05They can't get it.
02:08Well Gomez can't get it under control.
02:12Come again, cannot.
02:16It's a hard-to-date opportunity as well.
02:18Slipped in towards that near post and only Martinez had to be alert after Abdul Hamid got up for the
02:24cheaply and Gomez now has found Messi
02:27Looks like that was offside but Lautaro Martinez is taking no chances
02:32He's now been called back for an offside flight
02:37Messi from hitting the ball
02:39Has it stopped him now
02:42Paredes
02:45Gomez
02:46Going for goal
02:50Missing the target by some way
02:52He's trying to release Messi
02:53He's scampering in behind here
02:55He's in behind, he's only got the goalkeeper to beat
02:58From the offside come to Saudi Arabia's rescue
03:03Gonna be a nervous moment of waiting now
03:07It's a mistake by Rodrigo Depal
03:10Run by Al Farage initially
03:13And that was a foul right at the very end by the feet really
03:18Talking of remarkable feet
03:24Tagliafico
03:27Slip through
03:28Big chance
03:30And Argentina on the wild stage
03:34And back amongst the goals
03:36And back amongst the goals
03:37Lautaro Martinez
03:41Has added to his international tally
03:43Awarded
03:44But I'm not sure that it is
03:47It's been ruled out for offside
03:52And now Messi
03:54Spreading it immediately
03:56But not finding
03:57The perfect pass to Alejandro Gomez
04:00We'll come back to it in just a second
04:02Because Messi is releasing
04:03Lautaro Martinez
04:05Who this time has gone down
04:06The goalkeeper
04:07Has finished
04:08And once again
04:09Is flagged offside
04:12And once again
04:13There's a nervous
04:14Wait amongst the Argentine supporters
04:16Tagliafico
04:23Tagliafico is stretching
04:25Terrific the other night
04:25Against the UAE
04:26Lovely little reverse ball
04:28Cristian Romero getting higher
04:32Di Maria
04:36And Messi couldn't bring it down
04:38Before Abdul Hamid
04:39Was in again
04:41Messi's delivery
04:42Towards Paredes
04:43It comes back out
04:44On the edge of the box
04:45And Rodrigo de Paul
04:48Paredes
04:49Oh that's beautiful
04:50Di Maria
04:51Didn't get that
04:52Contact on the ball
04:53To Korka
04:55Can up
04:56Good little
04:57There is the half-time whistle
04:59Well Argentina
05:00Have come with the intention
05:01Of winning this tournament
05:02So beating Saudi Arabia
05:06Missing
05:07I don't think he was
05:08Trying to intervene
05:09But they've worked the ball
05:10It
05:11Now Chevy
05:12Who's got a shot on target
05:13And scored for Saudi Arabia
05:22What a magic moment
05:26For the fans from the Middle East
05:38The Green Falcons take flight
05:42Saudi Arabia on the scoreboard
05:44And it's 1-1 against one of the favourites
05:46Well they're winning the ball back in midfield
05:48It's just a long ball down the middle
05:49But once he gets away
05:50Romero can't stay with him
05:52For Argentina
05:53Look to him
05:54They all have their hands on their head
05:55They've got another problem here
05:56Paris
06:08And they've gifted it
06:09Straight back towards the substitute
06:11Al-Abi
06:12His effort is repelled
06:14But Saudi Arabia
06:15Are becoming difficult to contain
06:17Aldoussari
06:20Oh my word
06:25Who saw this coming
06:321-0 down at half time
06:34Saudi Arabia lead against one of the tournament favours
06:37Argentina
06:38By two goals to one
06:42And whatever happens tonight
06:44You suspect that Lionel Scaloni's Arabian night
06:48Will be a sleepless one
06:53Wow
06:55Aldoussari
06:55When he cuts in
06:57There's so many bodies in front of him
06:59It looked from here like it got some sort of deflection
07:02Because he went in the goal so slow
07:06The first shot comes in
07:07Looks for the tournament
07:08Or one of them
07:09Messi
07:10Helping it on
07:11Artaro Martinez
07:12Returning it back to Messi
07:13That's a brilliant intervention
07:15Altan Bhakti
07:16Has celebrated that
07:17As if he
07:19Julian Alvarez of Manchester City
07:21Is about to
07:22Come on to beef up the Argentine attack
07:25Here's the changes
07:26Cristian Romero is off
07:29I do wonder whether or not
07:30The injury that he has been carrying
07:32Played a part
07:33In the concession of
07:34The first goal
07:36Thoughts on the pitch as a result of
07:39That change
07:40Here's Lautaro Martinez
07:41And Altan Bhakti has gone down
07:45And Lautaro Martinez is being penalized
07:50Di Maria bending one
07:51Lautaro Martinez
07:53Diving towards it
07:55And he wasn't
07:56And he cycled well
07:57And it comes through to one
07:58The substitute has a brilliant save
08:00And Lissandro Martinez has been denied
08:03In athletic fashion
08:08Being chased
08:10Needless to get it towards
08:18Needless to get it towards
08:18Good self-catch from Mohamed Al Ores
08:21There was a little bit of pressure
08:22But
08:23He was
08:25Don't know if he can
08:26Once it's played
08:27Down this left side
08:28But it's out there
08:29Towards that near post
08:32And Lautaro Martinez
08:34And Lautaro Martinez
08:34I think just lost his place
08:36On the mat
08:37Di Maria
08:40And so Fernandez
08:41Flashing it through
08:42The Messi
08:44Immediately surrounded
08:45But finding a really good pass
08:48And it's well stopped
08:49By the goalkeeper
08:50And always
08:51It was never really too much trouble for him
08:55Now Lautaro Martinez
08:57Goalkeepers come miles out
08:58And did well
09:00Angel Di Maria
09:01Spotted him off his line
09:02Not enough strength
09:03Or power in the shot
09:08As Argentina steam forward
09:10With Di Maria
09:12Messi
09:13Clipping it into an area
09:14Which no one is going into
09:15There was a collision
09:16On the edge of the box
09:17And Messi's
09:17Been given a free kick
09:19And they're furious about it
09:20Cano is berating the referee
09:22Oh, careful
09:27Is this the first part of the rescue act?
09:30Nope
09:37Di Maria
09:40Aimed towards Messi
09:41With a header
09:41Planted straight into the arms
09:43Of a grateful
09:45Mohamed
09:46Meanwhile Di Maria
09:47Is scampering down the left
09:49And looking for Lautaro Martinez
09:50It's a
09:52Di Maria
09:55Dazzling
09:56Wandering forward
09:57And winning a free kick
09:58Rodrigo de Paul
10:01Looking for a searching ball
10:03Which
10:03The goalkeeper comes and gets
10:05And Alvarez
10:05Has his effort cleared off the line
10:10Well the goalkeeper's getting a yellow card here
10:14And there's some confusion
10:18What a remarkable achievement
10:20And the world's
10:22And held a high line still
10:25It's not over yet
10:26So it's a free kick
10:27The referee's not giving him one
10:28The goalkeeper's out of his goal
10:29Lionel Messi
10:30Being tracked
10:32But still
10:33Keeping track of them
10:34To be
10:34That
10:35Saudi Arabia
10:36Are gonna have to hold on
10:38Alvarez
10:40Another big block
10:41Another big moment
10:43From
10:43Abdel Hamid
10:44Di Maria
10:46Towards Julian Alvarez
10:48And Mohamed
10:50Alvarez
10:51Grabs the ball
10:52Gratefully
10:53From the sky
10:53And says
10:56There's no more chances
11:00There are upsets
11:03And then there is this
11:07Argentina
11:08One of the favourites
11:10Getting beat by a country
11:12Ranked outside the world's top 50
11:18USA's win over England
11:2072 years ago
11:22Senegal beating the
11:23Holders France
11:24In 2002
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