KEIR RADNEDGE in LUSAIL: This is It for Lionel Messi. He has said this is his last World Cup. His final assault on the summit began in Lusail where he wants to end in glory on December 18.

But the path will be even more testing than it appeared after he and Argentina stumbled to the first shock of these finals, beaten 2-1 by Saudi Arabia, on almost-home desert ground.

Worse: Messi had opened the scoring so Argentina could lead at the interval. Then the Saudis struck twice early in the second half before defending heroically including the 12 minutes of stoppage. None was inspired than their goalkeeper Mohammed Alowais.

Messi is without any doubt one of the game’s greatest players, even without a World Cup winner’s medal. But such is the pressure of expectation in the voracious social media age that this is the demand resting on his shoulders. Always hanging over whatever he achieves lingers the shadow of Maradona.

Everything promised so well. It was Messi who delivered the first shot, in the first minute to draw the first save from Alowais. Minutes later he was there again with the first corner and then the first attacking free kick which brought a penalty and the first goal.

Salid Abdulhamid, one of 10 Al Hilal players in the Saudi line-up, was the culprit, pulling down Leandro Paredes. Nowhere near as blatant as the penalty Harry Maguire was not awarded on Monday but still clear enough.

Messi duly rolled home Argentina’s first goal of the finals, the 92^nd of his international career. Thus he became the first Argentinian to score in four finals tournaments. In addition he put away the first of three Argentinian goals to be disallowed for offside in the first half. Lautaro Martinez was the over-eager victim on the other two occasions.

Iceland spectre

For all their technical virtuosity, Argentina still led only 1-0 at the interval and memories of the Iceland nightmare in Russia should have kept them on high alert, Instead, within seven minutes of the restart they were 2-1 down and to two fine goals, one even better than the other.

First Saleh Al Sherhi jabbed a superb angled shot beyond the diving Emi Martinez then Salem Al Dawsari fashioned a wonderful second. He was facing the wrong way in the Argentinian penalty box when he pulled the ball down, danced out and around three baffled defenders before firing home off the goalkeeper’s fingertips.

Tempo and temperature changed dramatically. Argentina introduced three substitutes and then a fourth and play grew more fractious and fractured. Suddenly Messi found that the spaces into which he glided so effortlessly in the first half were denied him.

Last efforts

The Saudis ran, tackled, challenged, harried and intercepted as if their lives depended on it. The physical and nervous effort was draining so, as they began to tired, they also began racking up yellow cards.

Messi tried what he knew. A free kick curled away high and wide then an acute-angled header was plucked out of the air by Alowais.

The game ran into a scheduled eight minutes of stoppage time, extended for a further four after lengthy treatment to Saudi defender Nasser Aldosari who was carried off with suspected concussion. By then Argentina had lost it, mentally, physically, technically and tactically.

At the final whistle man-of-the-match Al Owais led his team-mates in one last, joyous gallop to salute their delirious fans.

For Messi, and for Argentina, crisis had come early.

##########