Argentina and Juventus star Angel Di Maria was singled out for criticism after Argentina’s shock World Cup defeat to Saudi Arabia, but he insists they “could have scored five or six” goals in their opening game.
The first big surprise of the tournament so far in Qatar was undoubtedly favorites Argentina, suffering a 2-1 defeat after taking the lead thanks to Lionel Messi’s penalty.
The Saudis hit back with two goals early in the second half from Saleh Al-Shehiri and Salem Al-Dawasari.
What a great Commentary..What a goal..
Saudi Arabia win to break Argentina’s 36-game unbeaten streak
Congratulations Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦#ARGvsKSA#FIFAWorldCup2022 pic.twitter.com/cdXYIQuqJ9— Asif_Abbasi (@Asif_Abbasi7) November 22, 2022
Di Maria was heavily criticized by former footballer Roy Keane during and after the match.
But Di Maria spoke to reporters after the match and insisted the result was a fluke, as Argentina were able to win 5-0.
“We could have easily won 5-0, but we lost. This is all”.
“We knew that Saudi Arabia would play like this, we were prepared, but we didn’t succeed. “Maybe we started the attacking moves too early and that’s why we ended up offside so many times”, stated Di Maria.
Argentina will now play Mexico and Poland to continue their World Cup journey.