INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Saudi Arabia shocked Argentina in the World Cup on Tuesday with a 2-1 victory over Lionel Messi&s side, prompting an outpouring of Arab
pride amidst the first staging of soccer&s top tournament in the Middle East, Reuters reported.King Salman declared a public holiday in
Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to mark the achievement, a feather in the cap of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who recommended the royal order
state media said.Prince Mohammed was not seen at the match but had been front and centre at the tournament opening on Sunday.According to
Reuters one of Prince Mohammed&s brothers, Prince Saud, posted pictures on Instagram showing the crown prince prostrating in thanks to God
in a room where his other brother Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz was also present, shown holding a Saudi flag and standing next to a
smiling crown prince.It was also a sweet moment for host Qatar, facing intense criticism over human rights in the conservative Muslim
Qatar&s emir draped the Saudi flag over his shoulders at the match
A Doha skyscraper flashed &Congratulations Greens.&&Wow! I have all the feelings right now
We beat Argentina, one of the great teams!& said Saad from Riyadh who is in Qatar for two weeks and was wearing a green Saudi Falcons
scarf.&Our guys played so well & everything went right inside the stadium today
It was amazing.&On his fifth and final quest for the only major trophy to elude him, Messi, 35, scored a 10th minute penalty in a dominant
first half display by Argentina during which he and Lautaro Martinez also had a combined three goals disallowed for offside, Reuters
reported.But Saudi Arabia, the second-lowest ranked team in the tournament after Ghana, threw caution to the wind at the start of the second
half, charging at Argentina in front of a frenzied 88,012 crowd to end their opponents& 36-game unbeaten run.The entire game was played in
an extraordinary atmosphere at the Lusail Stadium, with Argentina&s traditionally massive and raucous following matched by the thousands of
Saudis who had come over the border to cheer on their team.The post Saudi Arabia declares public holiday after historic win against
Argentina first appeared on Ariana News.
