Published on 23 Nov 2022 10:58 pm (UK Time)
Saudi Arabia has declared, Wednesday 23rd November, a national holiday after beating Argentina 2-1 in the Qatar World Cup.
A tweet from the official Saudi Press Agency said: “[It will] be a holiday for all employees in all sectors of the state and the private sector, and all male and female students in all educational stages.”
The game opened with Lionel Messi scoring a penalty for Argentina in the first ten minutes, but Saudi Arabia was able to complete an incredible comeback with two goals from Saleh Alsherhri (48′) and Salem Aldawsari (53′) in the second half.
The marketing director of the Saudi ministry of housing, Ghassan Alwan said: “We are so happy with the result. It was an exceptional match from our falcons, our faith in our players was in the right place. We wrote history tonight.”
After the defeat, Messi said: “There are no excuses, we are going to be more united than ever. This is a strong team and we have shown it in the past.
“Now we have to win, it depends on us. I ask the fans to trust us. This group will not let them down.”
Saudi Arabia is not the first country to declare a national holiday after beating Argentina, during the 1990 World Cup in Italy, Cameroon beat Argentina 1-0 and also announced a national holiday the next day.
I don’t know about you but I think England needs to follow in Cameroon and Saudi Arabia’s footsteps.
