• Football
  • Boxing
  • UFC
  • Home
  • Football
    • England
    • Transfer News
    • Premier League
    • Champions League
    • Lionel Messi
    • Cristiano Ronaldo
    • EA FC 25
    • Wrexham
  • Boxing
    • Tyson Fury
    • Anthony Joshua
    • Oleksandr Usyk
    • Mike Tyson
    • Jake Paul
    • Logan Paul
  • UFC
    • Dana White
    • Conor McGregor
    • Khabib Nurmagomedov
    • Jon Jones
    • Paddy Pimblett
    • Joe Rogan
  • Other Sport
    • Athletics
    • Formula 1
    • MMA
    • Motorsport
    • NBA
    • Darts
    • NFL
    • Snooker
    • Wrestling
    • Tennis
    • Cricket
    • Golf
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
Lionel Messi was shook when Saudi Arabia defender Ali Al-Bulayhi squared up to him after goal

Home> Football

Published 14:39 22 Nov 2022 GMT

Lionel Messi was shook when Saudi Arabia defender Ali Al-Bulayhi squared up to him after goal

Ali Al-Bulayhi opened up on what he said to Lionel Messi after the full-time whistle.

Jack Kenmare

Jack Kenmare

Ali Al-Bulayhi slapped Lionel Messi's back, squared up to the Argentina forward and said, "You will not win, you will not win!" after Saudi Arabia's second goal on Tuesday.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, who is taking part in his fifth World Cup this year, opened the scoring from 12 yards for favourites Argentina at the Lusail Stadium after Saud Abdulhamid hauled down Leandro Paredes in the area.

But after dominating the first-half of their Group C clash in Doha, Lionel Scaloni's side struggled after the break.

Advert

Saleh Alshehri equalised with 48 minutes played before Salem Aldawsari's magnificent effort from the edge of the box handed Herve Renard's side a surprise 2-1 lead.

Moments after Alshehri's spectacular effort, Al-Hilal defender Ali Al-Bulayhi went over to goalscorer Lionel Messi, slapped him on the back and had a serious word with the Argentine.

Messi, who looked baffled throughout the ordeal, eventually started laughing after Al-Bulayhi squared up to the Paris Saint-Germain forward.

Advert

Was this an attempt to intimidate Argentina's captain or was he just having some fun? Well, after the full-time whistle, the defender opened up on that conversation.

After a reporter asked what he said, Al-Bulayhi replied: "I told him: you will not win, you will not win!”

You can see that bizarre moment between the two players below.

Saudi Arabia went on to defend their slender 2-1 lead and, after the full-time whistle, Messi admitted Argentina can have "no excuses" after the shock defeat.

Advert

He said: "We knew that (Saudi) Arabia is a team with good players, that moves the ball well and that advances the line a lot. We work on it, but we speed up a bit.

"There are no excuses. We are going to be more united than ever. This group is strong and they have shown it.

"It is a situation that we did not have to go through in a long time. Now we have to show that this is a real group.

"It's a very hard blow for everyone, we didn't expect to start like this. Things happen for a reason. We have to prepare for what's coming, we have to win or win and it depends on us.

Advert

"We have to go back to the base of who we are. We have to think about what's to come."

Image credit: Alamy
Image credit: Alamy

Thoughts on Lionel Messi's performance against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday?

Let us know in the comments.

Featured Image Credit: Twitter/@leonardomed

Topics: Lionel Messi, Argentina, Football World Cup, Football

Jack Kenmare
Jack Kenmare

Jack is a Senior Journalist who enjoys a long read. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of Football Manager wonderkids from 2005 to the present day, and has interviewed a handful of FM's finest, including Freddy Adu, Supat Rungratsamee and Mika Aaritalo.

X

@jackkenmare_

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

an hour ago
2 hours ago
  • an hour ago

    Sam Quek breaks silence after backlash from Man Utd fans over Soccer Aid incident

    Sam Quek featured for England in the 2025 Soccer Aid charity clash at Old Trafford but caused a bit of a stir.

    Football
  • an hour ago

    Napoli activate new Scott McTominay clause that shows his true value after Kevin De Bruyne arrival

    Scott McTominay has had a great impact on Napoli's Scudetto win and is expected to be a key part next season even with Kevin De Bruyne.

    Football
  • an hour ago

    Paddy McGuinness issues statement on Carlos Tevez after Angry Ginge brands Soccer Aid opponent a 't***'

    The comedian has spoken out after Angry Ginge's controversial comments.

    Football
  • 2 hours ago

    Steph Houghton makes her feelings clear on Leonardo Bonucci taking her out with crunching tackle at Soccer Aid

    Steph Houghton was on the receiving end of a crunching challenge from Leonardo Bonucci in the 2025 Soccer Aid game at Old Trafford.

    Football
  • What Lionel Messi said to James Rodriguez in heated World Cup qualifier that left the Colombia star visibly stunned
  • Lionel Messi faces huge danger at Club World Cup that no one can control
  • Bojan Krkic snubbed Lionel Messi when naming the best player he played with at Barcelona who 'had it all'
  • Lionel Messi reveals the one football match he lost that still 'tortures' him