EIGHT SECONDS in need of 14 minutes in stoppage time, the referee blew his whistle. It may have been essentially the most stunning tune that Saudi Arabia’s tenacious wonder-men would have heard of their lives. Some of them knelt and kissed the boot-crushed grass of the Lusail Stadium. Some unfold their arms to catch maintain of their leaping teammates. Some sprinted to a bit of the joyous crowd, furiously waving the nation’s flag and hurling their jerseys.
How they discovered the vitality to have fun was baffling. For, they’d shed each drop of sweat, stretched each sinew of muscle and expended each ounce of braveness in grinding out one of the surprising defeats in World Cup historical past.
Rallying from a one-goal deficit and listlessness within the first half, the Saudis had managed to upset event favourites Argentina 2-1.
It was a second that will outline the remainder of their lives, make them immortal in footballing lore. The humble footballers who shocked Lionel Messi’s workforce; the miracle males who may spoil Messi’s dream of an ideal World Cup farewell; the everlasting underachievers who lit up the World Cup.
Saudi Arabia’s Saleh Al-Shehri celebrates scoring their first objective. (Reuters)
It’s such shock defeats that enrich the World Cup expertise — and victories like these that make watching a World Cup worthy. As enervating as it’s to see a generational footballer like Messi in full bloom, it’s equally romantic to see a mid-tier workforce like Saudi Arabia, having misplaced 10 of their 13 earlier video games, beat a workforce that had remained unbeaten for 36 video games.
When each side parted for the half-time break, nobody anticipated the tempest that was to blow on the pitch. Argentina had been bossing Saudi Arabia: a luxurious Messi penalty, three objectives dominated offside, Saudi’s excessive backline pierced with unreal consolation. Saudi Arabia, in the meantime, had been flirting with risk-fraught ways: negligible verve upfield, lack of stability on the center of the pitch. The 1-0 scoreline at half-time was truly flattering for them.
The second half appeared an ordeal in ready. But that’s how essentially the most thrilling heists are scripted. The heroes are slung to the nook, tortured and battered, earlier than they channel a uncommon power when there’s nothing else to be misplaced. And that’s what Saudi Arabia did.
The first of these heroes was Saleh Al-Shehri, though he was lowered to cameos after seven months away from the game. Everything modified in a second of pure opportunism. Receiving an extended ball from Firais Al Buraikan, he escaped Argentina’s defensive bulwark Christian Romero with the deftest of first touches, outmuscled and outsped a pair of Romero’s frantic colleagues, slid a move by way of Romero’s legs, and slammed the ball previous goalie Emiliano Martinez proper into the nook. Firais then ran in direction of the corner-flag, slumped to his knees and supplied a silent prayer in entrance of the ecstatic, and shocked, Saudi supporters.
Saudi Arabia’s Salem Al-Dawsari celebrates scoring their second objective. (Reuters)
Argentina had been shaken. But many thought this was a solitary second of lapse that occurs to the very best of groups, not more than a passing concern. As energetic as they had been within the first half, it was inevitable that they might reclaim the lead with the standard at their disposal and the attacking riches on the bench.
Little did they know that essentially the most startling of twists was lurking within the lengthening shadows of the stadium.
Soon sufficient, Saudi’s loose-limbed right-footed wizard Salem Al-Dawsari burst forth from the left wing at the same time as his teammate Nawad Al-Abid pummeled the ball powerfully onto Romero’s head. The rebound rolled onto the far facet of the penalty the place Dawsari sped furiously to gather the ball. His choices appeared restricted: Angel di Maria and Leandro Paredes had been suffocating him. But with a silken 360 diploma pirouette, he foxed Di Maria. Then, with a pointy inward flip into the field, he escaped two last-ditch tackles, minimize throughout a lunging Paredes and earlier than Rodrigo de Paul may shut him down, unleashed a candy right-footed strike previous the despairing arms of Martinez.
Dawsari, actually, had misplaced his steadiness within the comply with by way of however saved delaying the downward plunge till he noticed the ball ruffle the far nook. It was a objective of such devastating magnificence that it appeared Latin American in essence.
There had been different heroes, too, because the Saudis repelled wave after wave of Argentina’s forays. The goalkeeper Mohammad Al-Owais was unflappable, a one-man fort that might not be breached. On a uncommon occasion he was overwhelmed, defender Abduleh-al-Amiri headed the ball away from the road. Saudi Arabia was impenetrable within the dying minutes, throwing every little thing at Argentina, frantically and, at occasions, chaotically clinging to their lead. And then, the referee blew the whistle.
