Following Saudi Arabia victory over Lionel Messi’s Argentina, King Salman has declared a public holiday in the country on Wednesday to mark the national team’s stunning first match victory at the Qatar 2022 World cup.
Crown Prince Mohammed Salam was said to be in a joyous mood which made him declared the public holiday. One of the king’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 country. 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.”
Saudi Arabia, the second-lowest ranked team in the tournament after Ghana, defeated the Argentine 2-1 at the teams first match in group C
