The 2-1 loss against Saudi Arabia nearly exposed all of the problems Argentina have: their defensive line is unstable; they lack control in the midfield; their attackers are clueless about how to beat the blanket defense.
By contrast, Saudi Arabia have every reason to celebrate: it's the first time for the team to win their first group game at the World Cup; they beat the two-time World Cup champions; they now lead Group C.
France almost suffered the same misfortune as Argentina did after Australia scored first, but Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud, Adrien Rabiot and Antonio Griezmann stood out to save Les Blues.
The two 0-0 draws between Denmark and Tunisia, Poland and Mexico, only complicated things in their groups.
Players of Saudi Arabia celebrate after scoring a goal in the FIFA World Cup game against Argentina at Lusail Stadium in Qatar, November 22, 2022. /CFP
Players of France celebrate after scoring a goal in the FIFA World Cup game against Australia at Al Janoub Stadium in Doha, Qatar, November 22, 2022. /CFP
Youssef Msakni (R) of Tunisia dribbles in the FIFA World Cup game against Denmark at Education City Stadium in Qatar, November 22, 2022. /CFP
Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa of Mexico rejects the penalty kick shot by Robert Lewandowski of Poland in the FIFA World Cup game at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, November 22, 2022. /CFP
Host: Li Xiang
Guest: Josh McNally
Cover designer: Feng Yuan
Chief editor: Chen Ran
Supervisor: Zhang Shilei