Meriam Jelliti
Doha
As soon as the referee blew the final whistle to announce the end of the Argentina-Saudi Arabia World Cup match, the fans of the Saudi team broke into well-deserved celebrations.
The continued outpouring of joy has turned into a spectacle in its own right with Saudi fans spotted all over the city, adding to the festive atmosphere of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The dramatic Saudi victory over Argentina, with the Green Falcons coming from behind to first equalise the score 1-1, and then add the winning goal to turn the tables on their much vaunted opponents, was indeed stuff of tales for posterity.
The fans of the Saudi national team have created a wonderful enthusiastic and festive atmosphere in the past two days throughout the country. The sheer number of fans celebrating the victory speaks of the significance of the victory. The felt that this victory against a team considered one of the best in the world was not a fluke. The Saudi national team played the match in a professional manner and deserved their win, they said.
Reflecting the support of millions of fans and followers from different countries of the world, a huge number of fans flocked to the Corniche area to celebrate the victory and encourage the other Arab teams vying in the tournament to win their upcoming matches.
Naser, a fan of the Saudi team said: "The match was exciting and splendid, and the Saudi team showed great determination and discipline in competing with the Argentinian team, especially since opponents had Messi, one of the most prominent players in the world, in their ranks.”
The Saudi national team achieved the dream of all Arabs, he added, expressing hope that it would reach the advanced stages of the tournament and hopefully compete in the final.
He described the World Cup atmosphere in Qatar as ‘very splendid and exciting’, especially in the fans designated areas, where everything necessary was provided for to celebrate the participating teams.
Mohammad, another Saudi fan, pointed out that the match was as difficult as any. The Saudi team’s victory over its Argentine counterpart was great by any yardstick.
Pointing towards the fans of the Saudi team gathered in the fans’ areas in Doha’s Corniche to celebrate this great victory, he expressed hope that the Saudi team would reach the final stage during World Cup.
Saeed, a Moroccan fan of the Saudi team who caught the eyes of many at Souq Waqif with his big sign saying ‘From Morocco and here for all Arabs’, expressed great pride at the honourable result.
Full enthusiasm and joy, he said, "We are looking forward to another Arab victory during the World Cup, and we are all hopeful that the Saudi team will achieve a lot more during its upcoming fixtures.”
For supporters of Saudi Arabia, watching their team’s inspired performance on Arab soil was an exhilarating experience.
"A day to remember… all Arabs are happy”, he said. "From the very beginning of the tournament, I knew that Qatar 2022 would bring pride to all Arabs. Saudi Arabia showed the world we can play against the best and win. Great performance by the Arab teams, the tournament in Qatar is a success for every Arab and Muslim”, said a Tunisian supporter celebrating with Saudi fans.