King Salman declared a nationalist vacation successful Saudi Arabia connected Wednesday to people the nationalist team's stunning 2-1 upset implicit Lionel Messi's Argentina astatine the 2022 World Cup.
The quality is simply a feather successful the headdress of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who recommended the royal order, authorities media said. Prince Mohammed was not seen astatine the lucifer but had been beforehand and centre astatine the tourney opening connected Sunday.
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One of Prince Mohammed's brothers, Prince Saud, posted pictures connected Instagram showing the crown prince prostrating successful acknowledgment to God successful a country wherever his different brother, Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz, was besides present, shown holding a Saudi emblem and lasting adjacent to a smiling crown prince.
It was besides a saccharine infinitesimal for big Qatar, facing aggravated disapproval implicit quality rights successful the blimpish Muslim country. Qatar's emir draped the Saudi emblem implicit his shoulders astatine the match. A Doha skyscraper flashed "Congratulations Greens."
"Wow! I person each the feelings close now. We bushed Argentina, 1 of the large teams!" said Saad from Riyadh who is successful Qatar for 2 weeks and was wearing a greenish Saudi Falcons scarf.
"Our guys played truthful good -- everything went close wrong the stadium today. It was amazing."
On his 5th and last quest for the lone large trophy to elude him, Messi, 35, scored a 10th infinitesimal punishment successful a ascendant archetypal fractional show by Argentina connected Tuesday during which helium and Lautaro Martinez besides had 3 goals disallowed for offside.
But Saudi Arabia, the second-lowest ranked squad successful the tourney aft Ghana, threw caution to the upwind astatine the commencement of the 2nd half, charging astatine Argentina's defence successful beforehand of a frenzied 88,012 crowd.
"Thank God, the players were up to it and we wiped them. They were relying connected 1 player, we competed arsenic a squad and we wiped them, we are up to it. Watch retired for Saudi Arabia due to the fact that erstwhile it hits, it hurts," said Saudi instrumentality Abdelaziz al-Khwatem.
A Saudi tv presumption showed a agelong enactment of cars with veiled women lasting successful their unfastened sunroofs waving the Saudi flag. Celebrating children gave the triumph sign.
The gravity of the triumph volition yet descend in. Saudi Arabia is simply a squad that had lone ever won 3 World Cup matches successful its past anterior to Tuesday's game.
"One for the books," Saudi Arabia manager Hervé Renard said. "Sometimes things are wholly crazy."
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Goalkeeper Mohammed Alowais, who made 2 cardinal saves precocious successful the crippled to sphere the triumph connected Tuesday astatine Lusail Stadium northbound of Doha, was astir subdued astatine the end, possibly not grasping the magnitude of the upset.
"I americium precise blessed astir this effect that we person been capable to get against this precise storied team," Alowais said solemnly. "We person prepared ourselves. We were 100% acceptable and hopefully we volition person amended results successful the future. I felt we were particularly bully successful the past minutes due to the fact that we secured our 3 points."
Not conscionable successful the past minutes. Despite trailing 1-0 astatine half-time, Saleh Alshehri and Salem Aldawsari managed to people a extremity each aboriginal successful the 2nd half.
Then came much than 50 minutes, including added clip astatine the extremity of the lucifer astatine the referee's discretion, of holding 1 of the tourney favorites astatine bay.
"All the stars aligned for us," said Renard, who won the African Cup of Nations arsenic manager of Zambia successful 2012 and past again with Ivory Coast successful 2015.
Renard has has besides coached Angola and Morocco, which helium guided to the 2018 World Cup successful Russia. He took implicit Saudi Arabia successful 2019.
"We made past for Saudi football," Renard said. "It volition enactment forever. This is the astir important. But we besides request to deliberation astir looking guardant due to the fact that we inactive person 2 games that are precise very hard for us."
Renard said helium asked his players to bounds the solemnisation aft the crippled to 20 minutes.
"That's all," helium said. "But determination are inactive 2 games -- oregon more."
They inactive indispensable look Poland connected Saturday and past instrumentality connected Mexico adjacent Tuesday successful Group C. Both are astir apt inactive favorites against Saudi Arabia -- contempt the upset.
He besides suggested different imaginable truth: Messi and Argentina astir apt underestimated Saudi Arabia, which is lone No. 51 successful the FIFA ranking. Argentina is No. 3.
"But you cognize the information is not similar you are playing Brazil," helium added.
Information from Reuters and the Associated Press was utilized successful this report.
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