Saudi Arabia fans shouted, “where’s Messi” and “they can’t look us in the eye,” as they made their way out of the stadium and into the streets of the city of Lusail, immediately north of the capital Doha. Argentina fans, on the other hand, were in a state of disbelief as they turned their attention to the remaining matches in the group phase against Mexico and Poland. On his fifth and final quest for the only major trophy to elude him, the 35-year-old Messi scored a 10th minute penalty in a dominant first half display where he and Lautaro Martinez also had three goals disallowed for offside.
