Lionel Messi spoke to his Argentina teammates following their stunning 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia in their 2022 World Cup opener.
La Albiceleste led through Messi's tenth-minute penalty, but goals by Saleh Alshehri and Salem Aldawsari five minutes apart gave the Arab minnows one of the biggest upsets in the competition's history.
Messi insisted there was a way back for his side, who entered the World Cup as one of the favorites if they are able to cope with the setback.
"We did not expect to start in this way"
When asked how his teammates were feeling following the match, the 35-year-old said "The truth? Dead. It's a very hard blow because we did not expect to start in this way.
"We expected to get the three points that would have given us chances", he added. "Things happen for a reason. We have to prepare for what is coming, we have to win, and it depends on us.
"There are no excuses. We are going to be more united than ever. This group is strong, and we have shown it. It is a situation that we haven't gone through in a long time. Now we have to show that this is a real group."
While admitting that "it's a painful loss", Messi asserted that "we have to continue to trust ourselves. We must turn the page and move on. We have to analyze what went wrong. Focus on the positives and turn our attention to the game against Mexico."
Messi speaks of lack of recent performance in loss to Green Falcons
Argentina entered the World Cup on the back of a 36-match unbeaten and a result would have equaled Italy's record for the longest streak by a national team in international play.
While La Albiceleste had three goals wiped out for offsides in the first half following Messi's penalty, he spoke of "anxiety" that crept into the two-time World Cup champions.
"The goal so early (in the second half) hurt us, it made us confused", he said. "We knew it could happen in the first game, if we didn't play in the best way we were doing, and I think that happened to us. We didn't find the performance or the game we've been demonstrating for a long time."
"We have to think about what's next"
While Saudi Arabia manager Herve Renard suggested Argentina lacked motivation, Messi hit back, stating that his side didn't take the Green Falcons lightly.
He spoke directly to the supporters who traveled to Qatar, telling them "my message to the supporters is to have faith. We won't leave them stranded. We have to prepare for what's coming, we have to win [against Mexico and Poland].
"We knew that Saudi Arabia is a team with good players, that they move the ball well, and that they push the [defensive] line a lot. We worked on it, but that's why he had many goals ruled out. Perhaps we did not find the right moment to avoid falling into the trap.
"We rushed a bit. We have to go back to the base of who we are. We have to think about what's next."