Saudi Arabia fans at the World Cup were in disbelief after their team shocked Argentina on Tuesday, setting off jubilant scenes in Qatar and the Saudi capital. (More Football News)
After one of the biggest upsets in the tournament바카라s history, fans flooded the streets outside Lusail Stadium waving green and white Saudi flags. Then they entered a nearby subway station chanting, singing 바카라 and even hugging Argentina fans.
Many were simply incredulous after the 2-1 comeback victory over Argentina, which won the World Cup twice in 1978 and 1986. And Argentina is one of the favorites this time 바카라 or it was until Tuesday 바카라 and also won the South American championship last year.
바카라I바카라m speechless,바카라 Saudi Arabia fan Sultan Alharthi said. 바카라I can바카라t even explain how much happy I am, because I didn바카라t expect we will win.
바카라I thought a draw would be fantastic against this team,바카라 Alharthi added. 바카라They came all the way just to win the World Cup. We did it today and I have to take some time to realize what happened.바카라
Qatar바카라s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani attended the match, and at one point wrapped a Saudi flag over his shoulders. The moment, captured in online video and widely shared, would have been unthinkable only nearly two years ago when Saudi Arabia and three other Arab nations boycotted Qatar over a political dispute.
On a giant screen near the official fan zone in Doha, a waving Saudi flag appeared among advertisements every few moments, flashing the message: 바카라Congratulations.바카라
In Saudi Arabia, King Salman announced a snap public holiday for all workers and students in the kingdom in celebration of the win.
People watching the match at a fan zone in the capital, Riyadh, jumped with joy and cheered as the game ended. Drivers honked their horns in celebration. Saudi authorities also allowed free entry to a state-sponsored sports and entertainment festival.
The gravity of the victory will eventually sink in. Saudi Arabia is a team that had only ever won three World Cup matches in its history prior to Tuesday바카라s game.
바카라One for the books,바카라 Saudi Arabia coach HervĂ© Renard said. 바카라Sometimes things are completely crazy.바카라
Goalkeeper Mohammed Alowais, who made two key saves late in the game to preserve the win on Tuesday at Lusail Stadium north of Doha, was almost subdued at the end, perhaps not grasping the magnitude of the upset.
바카라I am very happy about this result that we have been able to obtain against this very storied team,바카라 Alowais said solemnly. 바카라We have prepared ourselves. We were 100% ready and hopefully we will have better results in the future. I felt we were especially good in the last minutes because we secured our three points.바카라
Not just in the last minutes. Despite trailing 1-0 at halftime after a 10th-minute goal from Lionel Messi, perhaps the greatest soccer player of all time, Saleh Alshehri and Salem Aldawsari managed to score a goal each early in the second half.
Then came more than 50 minutes, including added time at the end of the match at the referee바카라s discretion, of holding one of the tournament favorites at bay.
바카라All the stars aligned for us,바카라 said Renard, who won the African Cup of Nations as coach of Zambia in 2012 and then again with Ivory Coast in 2015.
Renard has has also coached Angola and Morocco, which he guided to the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He took over Saudi Arabia in 2019.
바카라We made history for Saudi football,바카라 Renard said. 바카라It will stay forever. This is the most important. But we also need to think about looking forward because we still have two games that are very very difficult for us.바카라
Renard said he asked his players to limit the celebration after the game to 20 minutes.
바카라That바카라s all,바카라 he said. 바카라But there are still two games 바카라 or more.바카라
They still must face Poland on Saturday and then take on Mexico next Tuesday in Group C. Both are probably still favorites against Saudi Arabia 바카라 despite the upset.
He also suggested another possible truth: Messi and Argentina probably underestimated Saudi Arabia, which is only No. 51 in the FIFA ranking. Argentina is No. 3.
바카라But you know the motivation is not like you are playing Brazil,바카라 he added.
