“Always looked clueless”, “Shouldn’t be playing full time” – Fans left furious after ‘dreadful’ display from Argentina superstar in 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in FIFA World Cup clash

Fans were left disappointed with Angel di Maria's display in Argentina's historic 2-1 loss against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 22 November in the FIFA World Cup.

The 34-year-old was visibly trying to use his pace to exploit the opponent's backline throughout the first half but to no avail. A 'trivela' pass that narrowly missed a diving Lautaro Martinez's head and an 84th-minute cross to Lionel Messi were arguably his only two positive contributions in the game.

But the Argentines could not recover from Saudi Arabia's second-half comeback. Messi's 10th-minute penalty put the two-time FIFA World Cup winners in the lead.

However, manager Herve Renard's men did not abandon their attacking style of play and were rewarded with two goals within the first eight minutes of the second half. Di Maria played the entirety of the game, including 13 minutes of second-half stoppage time.

But he was ineffective and largely frustrated those backing La Albiceleste. As per SofaScore, the former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) winger lost possession 11 times, completed just two of his five dribbles, and recorded a modest 82% pass completion rate.

It's safe to say that his performance did not win him admirers, and fans did not hide their frustrations with the Juventus star. Some were concerned about his age, while others doubted his fitness levels.

Here are some of the best reactions to Di Maria's display in Argentina's 2-1 loss.

Di Maria joined Juventus on a free transfer this summer after seeing his contract at PSG run out. He has been restricted to just 10 appearances for Juve this campaign due to injuries and a two-match red-card suspension.

It remains to be seen if manager Lionel Scaloni sticks with the former Manchester United winger in his starting XI when Argentina take on Mexico on November 26.

2022 FIFA World Cup loss vs Saudi Arabia ends Argentina's iconic unbeaten streak

Argentina's loss against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia brought an end to their 36-match unbeaten streak.

Their last loss came in July 2019, when they lost 2-0 to Brazil in the semi-finals of the Copa America that year. Since then, they have managed to go on a 36-match unbeaten run, which included 25 wins and 11 draws.

Even a draw against Saudi Arabia would have seen them match Italy's record of 37 matches without a defeat, which is an international record. But it wasn't meant to be, and they are now up against the ropes if they want to make it out of Group C.

About the author

Aniket is a senior editor for Tennis, Golf, Motorsport, and Olympics at Sportskeeda, having 4 years of previous experience. He is also a European and International football writer at SK, with over 2,600 articles under his belt. He started following football in 2004 after watching the Champions League semi-final between Liverpool and Juventus, and has been a Reds fan ever since.

You cannot convince him that Virgil van Dijk isn't the best defender to grace the beautiful game. Liverpool’s comeback against Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League quarter-finals in 2016 left a lasting impact on Aniket since it inspired him to get through a tough phase at the time.

An expert researcher with an OCD-like eye for perfection, Aniket follows matches closely to add interesting facts and statistics to his articles. He double-checks all information, uses only established publications as sources, and always maintains an unbiased tone in his articles.

When not writing, he enjoys playing FIFA and Forza on his Xbox. He also listens to hip-hop, classical rock, and electronic music, and enjoys watching Rick and Morty, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Family Guy.

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