Saudis celebrate shock win over Argentina in World Cup
22 November 2022, 09:55 pm | Updated: 26 November 2024, 01:49 am
Saudi Arabia shocked Argentina in the FIFA World Cup on Tuesday with a 2-1 victory over Lionel Messi’s side, prompting an outpouring of Arab pride amidst the first staging of football’s top tournament in the Middle East, reports Reuters.
It was a sweet moment for host Qatar, which has faced a barrage of criticism over human rights in the conservative Muslim country. Qatar’s emir draped the Saudi flag over his shoulders at the stadium after the match.
“Wow! I have all the feelings right now. We beat Argentina, one of the great teams!” said Saad, a fan from Riyadh who is in Qatar for two weeks and was wearing a green Saudi Falcons scarf around his neck.
“Our guys played so well - everything went right inside the stadium today (Tuesday). It was amazing.”
On his fifth and final quest for the only major trophy to elude him, Messi, 35, scored a 10th minute penalty in a dominant first half display by Argentina during which he and Lautaro Martinez also had three goals disallowed for offside.
