Saudi Arabia made one of the biggest surprises in World Cup history with a stunning 2-1 victory over Argentina on Tuesday. Argentina’s loss ends its 36-match winning streak and comes during what is expected to be soccer star Lionel Messi’s last chance to win a World Cup. Fans in the 2 nations have different reactions in the Associated Press’ story:
Saudis jubilant by victory; Argentina shocked by loss
Newslooks- LUSAIL, Qatar (AP)
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.
After one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history, fans flooded the streets outside Lusail Stadium waving green and white Saudi flags. Then they entered a nearby subway station chanting, singing — 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 — or it was until Tuesday — and also won the South American championship last year.
“I’m speechless,” Saudi Arabia fan Sultan Alharthi said. “I can’t even explain how much happy I am, because I didn’t expect we will win.
“I thought a draw would be fantastic against this team,” Alharthi added. “They 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.”
Qatar’s 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: “Congratulations.”
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 Tuesday’s game.
“One for the books,” Saudi Arabia coach Hervé Renard said. “Sometimes things are completely crazy.”
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.
“I am very happy about this result that we have been able to obtain against this very storied team,” Alowais said solemnly. “We 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.”
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 referee’s discretion, of holding one of the tournament favorites at bay.
“All the stars aligned for us,” 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.
“We made history for Saudi football,” Renard said. “It 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.”
Renard said he asked his players to limit the celebration after the game to 20 minutes.
“That’s all,” he said. “But there are still two games — or more.”
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 — 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.
“But you know the motivation is not like you are playing Brazil,” he added.
Argentines shocked, saddened by loss in World Cup debut
Newslooks- BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP)
It was a match Argentines had no doubt would be victorious and joyful. Instead, shock and sadness engulfed the streets of the capital Tuesday morning as the long-awaited debut of the national team in the World Cup ended in a 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia.
“The truth is, this is a disappointment, a big disappointment,” said Alejandro Pintos, a 36-year-old locksmith who was opening his shop a bit later than usual because he first wanted to watch the game. “This was the match that we had no choice but to win.”
Pintos described the national team as being “very disorganized,” something he found particularly frustrating given its 36-match unbeaten streak leading up to the tournament.
Led by Lionel Messi, Argentina entered the tournament as one of the favorites, but instead suffered one of the biggest World Cup upsets after Saudi Arabia rallied with two second-half goals in Lusail Stadium.
“I’m really quite bitter,” Josefina Licera, a 27-year-old social worker, said as she waited for the bus to go to work. “I was really sure we were going to win and it was a big surprise.”
Susana Leguizamón, 55, woke up half an hour before the match was set to start at 7 a.m. local time and put on her blue-and-white-striped Argentina jersey, ready to celebrate what she thought was going to be a fabulous debut for the national team in Qatar.
“I was very, very, very surprised,” Leguizamón said. “The truth is, we underestimated our rival.”
Argentines were counting on a World Cup win to bring a glimmer of a hope to a country that has been economically stagnant for years, is suffering a nearly 100% inflation rate, and where close to 4 in 10 people are living in poverty.
Oscar López, 67, was visibly upset as he reflected on the team’s unexpected defeat while wiping down windows outside the building where he is the superintendent.
“If they’re in the World Cup, no team is easy,” López said, his eyes watering. “You always have to be careful.”
But Santiago Babarro, 40, said he wasn’t all that shocked by the result.
“The same thing always happens to Argentina,” the retail worker said. “We say, ‘This is an easy match, we can win it easily,’ and then, bam! They put us in our place. We always believe we’re more than what we are.”
Sebastián Fabre, 48, woke up with an uneasy feeling Tuesday, worried about what he said was overconfidence on the side of Argentina fans.
“There was way too much unfounded optimism. I didn’t want to say anything but I think we were all way too overconfident,” Fabre said.
Leguizamón, who walked to her job at a restaurant still wearing her Argentina jersey, said she could feel those around her were also suffering the loss.
“Everyone is very sad, very sad,” she said. “We all woke up with lots of hope.”
Still, the fans said they could see a silver lining.
“Really, it’s better that this happened in the first match and not in the quarter finals,” Fabre said. “That’s the positive side to this.”
Leuizamón agreed.
“A trip is not a fall, as we say here,” she said, using a common Argentine expression. “I’m a big fan of the national team and I get in a really bad mood when it loses but my hope is intact.”
Argentina plays Mexico on Saturday in their second match in Group C.
