A long procession of honking buses left Qatar for Saudi Arabia on Tuesday afternoon. With green flags out the windows. An hour later they were won in their own country as big winners. Earlier in the day, the ‘Sons of the Desert’ had brought the World Cup to life in their own country, Qatar’s great neighbor, with a 2-1 victory over Argentina. The victory can be seen as the biggest surprise ever at a football world championship. For Argentina it was an even bigger blow than the first game defeat against Cameroon at the 1990 World Cup. After that debacle, the South Americans still reached the final. It was lost 1-0 against West Germany.
Saudi Arabia’s stunt is causing a stir. The victory may even be one boost for the country to put itself forward as a candidate to host the World Cup in 2030 – that has been rumored for a long time. It would also fit in with Saudi Arabia’s strategy to gain (political) influence in Western Europe through major sporting events. After the match, an official from the Saudi Football Association said that no decision had yet been made. Argentina is already an official candidate for that World Cup, together with Uruguay, Chile and Paraguay. But that was less important this Tuesday. The forty thousand Argentinian fans in Qatar hope to get through the first round.
Saudis living in Qatar celebrated an unexpected celebration everywhere. At the Lusail Stadium, in the fan zones, in the luxury hotels of Doha. And in the subway where football fans from all over the world constantly cross each other. There the songs of the fans echoed through the brand new stations. Large groups of Argentines silently sought refuge after this shock. “We had hoped for it in advance, but never really expected this to be possible,” said 26-year-old Khalid Alamri from Damman, Saudi Arabia, a few hours after the victory. “We will drive back in about three hours. Who knows how far we’ll get.”
Saudi Arabia started as ‘the weak brother’ in Group C where Argentina was estimated as the top favorite and Mexico and Poland (they drew 0-0) as countries that should decide who would finish second. The team of the French national coach Hervé Renard turned the ratios completely upside down. Perhaps they had learned a lesson from the painful opening game of the 2018 World Cup, when they lost 5-0 to hosts Russia. The Saudis wanted to avoid such a humiliation, but Argentina had been unbeaten for 36 games in a row, so expectations were not high.
Clash of cultures
In the stands of the impressive Lusail Iconic Stadium it was an equal battle beforehand. According to FIFA’s official figures, 88,000 spectators were in Qatar’s largest stadium, where the final will be played on December 18. The fans of both countries appeared to be evenly divided between the sections. A wonderful atmosphere for a match between two completely different playing styles. And beyond that, a clash of cultures. It only became grim on the field where the Saudis indulged in all kinds of misconduct. Kicking, ranting, kicking balls away, feigning injuries. Everything for profit.
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At first it did not seem at all that Saudi Arabia could stand a chance against the successful team of national coach Lionel Scaloni. Argentina, as winner of the Copa América in 2021, came to Qatar as one of the big favorites with a team built around 35-year-old star player Lionel Messi. On June 1 of this year, the Argentines also impressed in the Finalissima – beating Italy 3-0 in a match between the champions of South America and the champions of Europe. Messi, however, has set his sights on the world title in Qatar. The only major prize that is still missing from the palmares of, according to many, the best footballer ever.
Almost all spectators clapped when the name of the Argentinian number 10 was announced. The Argentines did so with passion, the Saudis out of respect. Messi played a special role in several ways. In May, he committed himself as a tourism ambassador to Saudi Arabia, reportedly for many millions, a country with a very poor human rights record. He was criticized in Europe and South America, but became popular in parts of the Arab world.
It soon seemed that this was also going to be Messi’s day in sport. Within a few minutes he shot the ball with his golden boot at the fists of goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais. In the tenth minute, Argentina received the help of the Dutch video referee Pol van Boekel, who called the Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic off because he had seen that the Argentinian Leandro Paredes had been pulled to the ground. penalty kick. Messi hit with a quiet slider. Even the Saudis awarded him his seventh goal at a World Cup.
Power football players
Argentina saw the early goal as a sign that an easy victory could be achieved. The team with power footballers such as Papu Gómez and Rodrigo De Paul in midfield, next to Messi, was lurking on the counter. That tactic seemed to work, but every time the Argentines tried to attack with a sharp through ball, they fell into Saudi Arabia’s offside trap. Three goals – one by Messi and two by Lautaro Martínez – were ruled out for offside. It created a somewhat giggly mood in the stadium.
A few minutes after the break, that mood suddenly changed when Messi casually lost the ball and Saleh Al-Shehri suddenly went for Emiliano Martínez’s goal. Al-Shehri scored the goal of his life. The constant Argentinian singing died down and suddenly the green supporters came loose. Four minutes later, Salem Al-Dawsari caused the biggest surprise of the tournament with the most beautiful World Cup goal so far. After an unparalleled action, he hit the ball past Martínez. For example, after a failed adventure in Europe at Villarreal, which lasted only 33 minutes, he still made world fame.
Saudi Arabia then held its own with fierce anti-football against a weak Argentina, which simply could not turn a switch in its head. Messi himself was close to equalizing with a header, but failed to pass the excellent Al-Owais. The Argentines were badly shaken afterwards. “It’s a situation we haven’t experienced for a long time,” Messi said. “We have to win the next games and that is in our own hands.”
National coach Renard felt blessed. “We made history for football. This result will last forever, that’s the most important thing,” he said afterwards. His players walked one by one without saying anything with a big grin through the mixed zone past the international media.
Only goalscorer Saleh Al-Shehri paused and tried to express his emotions in half English, half Portuguese. “I just got back from a five-month injury. To score like that is unbelievable.”
In Saudi Arabia, the party will continue for a while. King Salman released the entire population on Wednesday, according to the state news agency.
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