Day 3 of the 2022 World Cup will go down as one of the most memorable days in the tournament’s history, as Saudi Arabia achieved a heroic victory over Lionel Messi’s Argentina. Elsewhere, France came from behind to beat Australia 4-1.
There were also a couple of goalless draws, with Tunisia holding Denmark and Robert Lewandowski missing a penalty in Poland’s clash against Mexico. It’s time to relive all the drama from Tuesday’s games.
That’s a wrap on matchday three. Let’s do it again tomorrow? 🎉#FIFAWorldCup | #Qatar2022— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 22, 2022
That’s a wrap on matchday three. Let’s do it again tomorrow? 🎉#FIFAWorldCup | #Qatar2022
With then minutes on the clock, everything appeared to be going to plan when Messi put Argentina ahead from the penalty spot. But following three disallowed goals for the South American champions, Saudi Arabia grew into the game.
Three minutes into the second half, Saleh Alshehri equalised for the Green Falcons. Five minutes later, Salem Aldawsari gave the underdogs a shock lead. Despite a wave of Argentine attacks, the Saudis held on to produce one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.
Denmark’s Christian Eriksen returned to the World Cup stage after suffering a cardiac arrest at last year’s European Championship. However, the much-fancied Danes were unable to get past Tunisia at the Education City Stadium.
The European side could have had a penalty in second-half stoppage time, but the referee stuck with his original decision after consulting the VAR monitor. Despite registering just 38% possession and one shot on target, Tunisia managed to claim a valuable point.
Following Argentina’s shock defeat to Saudi Arabia earlier in this day, Mexico and Poland had the opportunity to take control of Group C. As it turned out, they ended up producing the second goalless draw of Day 3.
The Mexicans dominated large spells of the game, but it was the Poles who had the best opportunity to claim all three points. Unfortunately for Poland, Lewandowski’s second-half penalty was saved by Guillermo Ochoa – leaving Group C wide open.
Another shock was on the cards when Craig Goodwin gave Australia an early lead against France at Al-Janoub Stadium. However, Goodwin’s strike proved to be the Socceroos’ only attempt on target throughout the entire game.
Olivier Giroud bagged a brace for Les Blues, with goals from Adrian Rabiot and Kylian Mbappe securing a 4-1 victory for the defending champions. France ended the game with 63% possession and 23 shots, highlighting their dominance.