World Cup 2022: 'This hurts a lot,' says Lautaro Martinez after Saudi Arabia stun Argentina 2-1

Argentina defender Lautaro Martinez has said "this hurts a lot" after his side suffered a shocking 2-1 defeat in their opening game in FIFA World Cup 2022.

Lionel Messi-led Argentina entered the World Cup in Qatar as one of the prime favourites to win the tournament as they were on a 36-match unbeaten streak. However, the fine run ended on Tuesday when Saudi Arabia, ranked 51st in the world, defeated them in their Group C fixture.

Tottenham's Cristian Romero was brought down in the penalty area and a spot-kick was awarded after a VAR check. Argentina started off well after Messi put his side 1-0 up with a penalty in the 10th minute.

After this, they had three goals ruled out for offside. But the Green Falcons turned tables around in a stunning 10-minute period after half-time, Saleh Al-Shehri levelling with a low effort and Salem Al Dawsari netting an unbelievable winner in the 53rd minute.

Manchester United centre-back Martinez also admitted that Argentina lost because of their mistakes.

"This hurts a lot. We had big hope of starting the World Cup with a win. We lost the game due to our mistakes, more than anything in the second half. There are details that make the difference and we must correct mistakes. In the first half we should have scored more than one goal, but this is a World Cup and now we have two finals left," Martinez told reporters on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Messi became the first player to score in four World Cups with Argentina (in 2006, 2014, 2018 and 2022). The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star forward overtook Argentine legends Diego Maradona (1982, 1986 and 1994), and Gabriel Batistuta (1994, 1998 and 2002), who only managed to score in three tournaments.

Messi has now netted 92 goals for Argentina, along with 52 assists in 166 games in all competitions.