Saudi Arabia shocked Argentina on the World Cup with a 2-1 win over Lionel Messi’s crew on Tuesday, sending a wave of Arab delight amid the primary leg of soccer’s high match within the Middle East.
King Salman declared a public vacation in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to mark the achievement, a feather within the cap of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who really useful the royal order state media. Prince Mohammed was not seen on the match, however he was entrance and heart on the match’s opening ceremony on Sunday.
It was additionally a candy second for hosts Qatar, who’re going through intense criticism over human rights within the conservative Muslim nation. During the match, the Emir of Qatar draped the Saudi flag over his shoulders. A Doha skyscraper “Congratulations Greens” flashes.
“Fantastic! I have all the feelings right now. We just beat one of the great teams, Argentina!” mentioned Saad from Riyadh who’s in Qatar for 2 weeks and was sporting a inexperienced Saudi Falcons scarf.
“Our guys played very well – everything went well inside the stadium today. It was amazing.”
On his fifth and closing quest for the one main trophy to elude him, the 35-year-old Messi scored a Tenth-minute penalty in a formidable first-half show by Argentina, throughout which he and Lautaro Martinez additionally had three objectives disallowed for offside. accomplished.
Saudi Arabia defeated Argentina. @adidasfootball , #FIFA World Cup
– FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 22, 2022
But Saudi Arabia, the second-lowest ranked crew within the match behind Ghana, confirmed warning early within the second half and attacked Argentina’s protection in entrance of a crowd of 88,012.
“Thank God, the players were up to it and we wiped them out. They were counting on one player, we competed as a team and we finished them off, we depended on it. Watch out for Saudi Arabia because when it hits, it hurts,” mentioned Saudi fan Abdelaziz Al-Khwatem.
A Saudi tv station confirmed a protracted line of automobiles with veiled girls of their open sunroofs waving the Saudi flag. The celebrating kids offered the victory signal.
Other Arab followers have been thrilled as nicely, together with the Tunisians, whose crew performed in a 0–0 draw towards Denmark.
“I am very proud,” mentioned Hoda Salmi, who lives in Qatar, as did different Tunisian followers.
Compatriot Yusra Khalil, together with her husband and two younger daughters within the fan zone, mentioned, “It’s great to see the Saudi victory.” “The fact that the World Cup is in Qatar and we are Arabs – it gives us a lot of energy and enthusiasm.”
The complete sport was performed in a rare ambiance on the Lucel Stadium, with Argentina’s historically huge and raucous following adopted by hundreds of Saudis who got here to the border to cheer on their crew.
“We have been anticipating Saudi to be simple and rating 5 objectives towards them. But in the long run the Saudi technique was to not allow us to have the ball in any respect. They scored objectives and that is it,” mentioned Juliana Vega, a 21-year-old Argentine fan.
Before the beginning of the match, the problem of tolerance got here up at a press convention between Qatar’s overseas minister and his American counterpart. Doha has come underneath criticism over its therapy of overseas staff and LGBT+ rights.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned he was “always concerned” to listen to about limits on freedom of expression, after FIFA threatened yellow playing cards for gamers in the event that they wore armbands with LGBT+ rainbow colors.
“This is especially so when the expression is for diversity and inclusion,” Blinken mentioned on the sidelines of the US-Qatar Strategic Dialogue in Doha, which noticed the US crew’s first match on Monday.
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly additionally spoke on Tuesday, saying he posed with Qatar as a welcoming World Cup host throughout a go to to the beginning of the match, amid stories that rainbow-clad followers have been going through issues. needed to face
The Gulf Arab state, which denies discrimination and factors to enacted labor reforms, welcomes everybody, its Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani mentioned.
“Its doors are open. Let us focus on the football and what is happening on the pitch.” (Additional reporting by Alistair Smout in London, Yara Abi Nader and Javier Andres Rojas; Writing by Michael Georgi and Gaida Ghantas; Nick McPhee, Christian Radnez and modifying by Mark Heinrich)
With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
