【Text/Observer Network Zhang Zhaodong】
On the evening of November 22, Beijing time, the 2022 Qatar World Cup broke out in history, and Saudi Arabia defeated Argentina, which was regarded as the favorite to win the championship, 2-1.
The World Cup kick-off made Saudi Arabia and the entire Arab world cheer. Saudi fans took to the streets, singing, dancing and singing triumphant songs; The Saudi crown prince and his brothers were ecstatic and embraced each other to celebrate after the final whistle; The Saudi king even ordered a national holiday on the 23rd, so that the people could celebrate happily all day; In addition, people in Jordan, Amman and even Syria also took to the streets to celebrate, the leaders of the United Arab Emirates also tweeted congratulations, and the king of Qatar draped the Saudi flag over his shoulders...
Argentina, who lost, was bleak, and the media lamented that it was a "world disaster", "historic blow" and "started the World Cup journey in the worst way"; However, Argentina's arch-rivals, the Brazilians, gloated a bit, joking Argentina's defeat as "pigs flying."
Saudi players embrace to celebrate victory Source: Al Jazeera
Before the start of this World Cup, Argentina was widely regarded as the favorite to win this year's title. The team is led by football superstar Lionel Messi, who is ranked third in the world and has won 36 consecutive international matches, three years in a row and a successful Copa America last year.
Their opponents, Saudi Arabia, ranked 51st in the world, are all players from the local league and are unknown on the world football stage. Although Saudi Arabia is a strong Asian football team and has reached the World Cup finals many times in the past, its record is not outstanding, and it has even been reduced to a "tragic background board" many times.
CNN reported that according to sports data company Gracenote's pre-match forecast, Saudi Arabia's odds of beating Argentina were only 8.7%, down from the 9.5% chance of winning the 1950 World Cup when the United States beat England. As a result, Saudi Arabia's 2-1 defeat over Argentina was the biggest upset in World Cup history.
This unexpected and history-making victory plunged Saudi Arabia into a national.
The Saudi fans watching the game could not hide their excitement after the game, chanting in unison directly outside the Lusail Arena, waving the national flag and singing triumphant; It is worth mentioning that this scene still happened in front of Argentine fans, and there were even happy Saudi fans who hugged heartbroken Argentine fans...
"I'm speechless." Sultan Alharthi, a Saudi fan, said, "I can't even describe how happy I was because I didn't expect us to win." ”
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Some fans were so excited that they removed the door panel;
There are also people who can't hold back, singing and dancing;
Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, at the moment of the final whistle, the fans in the viewing area jumped directly, and the drivers honked their horns to celebrate happily; Saudi authorities also announced that people will be allowed to participate in government-sponsored sports and entertainment festivals free of charge.
Similar scenes are playing out across Saudi Arabia, with Saudi fans waving green flags and riding in motorcades around public squares, heralding a new era of football in their country.
In addition, many Saudi female and male fans watched the match in cafes and restaurants to welcome this unexpected victory. The British newspaper The Guardian commented, "This is a new phenomenon in the desert kingdom".
"We are very pleased with this result. It was an extraordinary game. Ghassan Alwan, a 42-year-old Saudi housing ministry official, said, "We have no wrong confidence in the players. Tonight we wrote history. ”
"Unbelievable, grand, amazing, wonderful!" Saudi sports editor Abdelrahman Abti said, "Congratulations to everyone. This means a lot to every Saudi. This will be a huge boost to every Arab team participating in the World Cup. ”
The victory also thrilled Saudi leaders.
Although Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman did not go to the scene to watch the game, he was fully engaged when watching the live broadcast at home, not only kneeling and praying for the team during the game, but also excitedly hugging and celebrating with his family and brothers after the team's victory.
In addition, the Saudi crown prince also proposed to the king a day off for the whole country to celebrate the victory. King Salman approved the Crown Prince's proposal and announced in the evening of the same day that all employees of Saudi public and private institutions, as well as male and female students at all stages of education, would have a day off on the 23rd to celebrate the victory; Saudi Securities also announced a holiday on the 23rd and resumed trading on the 24th.
Source: Saudi Crown Prince Ins
The Guardian said that this extraordinary victory of the Saudi national football team is not only a victory on the pitch, but also a highlight moment that Saudi Arabia has been seeking on the global sports stage.
Saudis are angry that Saudi Arabia's love of sports and eagerness to host global events have long been seen as whitewashed tactics. Many fans say they also want to experience international matches and involve their own national teams.
"Few believe it's just a race, a nation-building moment and an opportunity to turn the tide of politics for a country that has been criticized for human rights issues and geopolitical stance." The Guardian wrote.
Saudi Arabia's victory not only jubilated its own people, but also inspired the Arab world throughout the Middle East.
The Associated Press reported that in the war-torn northwest of Syria, local residents gathered in cafes to cheer the victory. Ahmad Al-Absi, a fan in the Syrian city of Idlib, said the Saudi victory was a much-needed morale boost for Syrians and Arabs across the Middle East.
"It shows that we have the talent to achieve on the global stage." Absi is an Argentine fan, but he is still happy about the Saudi victory, "As Arabs, we dream of a better future, which boosts our morale and reminds us that nothing is impossible." ”
In Amman, Jordan's capital, dozens of Saudis and Jordanians took to the streets to celebrate, holding Saudi flags or pinning them to their cars and honking horns in celebration.
In Gaza, Palestine, residents cheered, saying they stood with Saudi Arabia to witness football's glory moment. "They (Saudi) stand with us politically and socially, so these celebrations are a form of giving back." Gaza resident Abu Khalil said.
UAE leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan also updated Twitter to congratulate him, calling it a "well-deserved victory" that "delights Arabs."
Qatar's Emir (King) Tamim was even more present to watch the game and draped the Saudi flag over his shoulders. The Associated Press said that this scene was unthinkable a few years ago, Saudi Arabia announced in 2017 that it broke off diplomatic relations with Qatar and imposed an embargo on it, and the two sides did not fully restore diplomatic relations until last year.
The Guardian said that Tamim's actions marked the end of the hostility between the two sides five years ago, and the Saudi victory was regarded as an achievement by the Gulf countries and was congratulated by the Arab world.
In Argentina, 14,000 kilometers from Qatar, the reaction was the opposite.
The defeat shocked and desperate the Argentines, with the Argentine sports newspaper Olé calling the debut defeat "a world-wide whammy"; Another Argentine media outlet, Clarín, wrote that the Argentine player suffered a "historic blow" after being "caught in the spider web of Saudi Arabia".
Football journalist Diego Macias called the result "a heavy blow... These kinds of things will leave a lasting mark."
"Argentina lost more than just a game against Saudi Arabia." Macias wrote. "They forgot their football principles in the dressing room and started the World Cup in the worst possible way."
It is worth mentioning that fans of Brazil, another team in South America, Argentina's archrival, gloated, making the Argentine flag into a "tearful" meme that went viral on social media;
Brazilian football commentator Luis Felipe Freitas tweeted: "Argentina, it's so embarrassing. ”
Brazilian newspapers called Argentina the first "zebra" of this World Cup, a colloquial phrase in Portuguese that roughly means "an unfathomable upset"; Rio de Janeiro's El Globe commented that Argentina's defeat was "pigs take off!" (Pigs flew, meaning the impossible happened)".
According to the data website Opta Analyst, after losing to Saudi Arabia in the first game, Argentina is still the team with the highest probability of qualifying for Group C of the World Cup group stage, with 55.77%; However, their chances of winning the title have dropped significantly, from 12.6% in second place to 8.6%, and they are now in sixth place.
Saudi Arabia's group qualification probability rose to 46.16% after beating Argentina, but it was lower than Mexico's 49.04% and Poland's 49.03%, and it is still the team with the lowest probability of qualifying in Group C.