• 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

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover

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.

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.

Advert

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.

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.

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.

"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 Kenmare is the Senior Journalist for SPORTbible, one of the world’s biggest social publishers. He specialises in long-form feature writing and has an encyclopedic knowledge of Football Manager wonderkids from 2005 to the present day. He has a BA (Hons) in Journalism and News Practice.

X

@jackkenmare_

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

5 hours ago
6 hours ago
7 hours ago
9 hours ago
  • Getty
    5 hours ago

    Iranian national team respond to Donald Trump warning over World Cup participation

    Iran's national team have issued a statement in response to Trump's World Cup remarks.

    Football
  • Getty
    6 hours ago

    What happened to the £14m Chelsea signing who didn't play for them for seven years

    The player joined Chelsea in a deal that could have been worth £21.7 million under Jose Mourinho.

    Football
  • Getty
    7 hours ago

    Pundit apologises to Spurs star after calling out what he did following Atletico loss

    Spurs lost 5-2 to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie.

    Football
  • Getty
    9 hours ago

    Real Madrid set asking price for Eduardo Camavinga and it looks like a typo

    Eduardo Camavinga has been linked with a move away from Real Madrid.

    Football
  • Lionel Messi taken down by pitch invader as opposing player forced to protect him
  • Lionel Messi reveals the one football match he lost that still 'tortures' him
  • Lionel Messi snubbed Virgil van Dijk when naming best defender in Premier League
  • Xavi drops Lionel Messi bombshell as Barcelona 'betrayal' revealed