Lisandro Martinez makes World Cup debut in shock defeat

However, the contest had completely flipped within eight minutes of the restart, inspiring a deafening noise from the thousands of travelling Saudi Arabian fans present inside the Lusail Stadium.

Martinez was part of a triple Argentina substitution just before the hour-mark, along with Julian Alvarez (Manchester City) and Enzo Fernandez (Benfica).

But Licha and his compatriots were unable to find an equaliser, despite spending almost the entire last half an hour, including a sizeable amount of stoppage time, camped in the Arabian half.

It’s a big blow for Messi and co, but two further group games remain, with Argentina’s next challenge coming on Saturday (26 November), when they meet Poland at the same venue (19:00 GMT).