DOHA—Lionel Messi’s Argentina must put aside injured pride after a shock defeat by Saudi Arabia and summon the fighting spirit of their similarly-bruised 1990 predecessors if they want to bring home the World Cup for a third time.
Messi’s fifth and final attempt to match Diego Maradona’s immortality among Argentinians by winning football’s greatest prize could not have started worse, with Tuesday’s 2–1 defeat to the Saudis one of the tournament’s biggest upsets.
