Lionel Messi did not have his most auspicious day for Argentina against Saudi Arabia and the fans were not going to let him forget it in a hurry.
Despite dispatching a penalty early on in the match, Messi was unable to impact the game in the second half after the Green Falcons fired their way into the lead.
Unable to break the Saudi defences, it ended in a historic win for Saudi Arabia over one of the tournament favourites in Argentina. Some have called it the greatest shock in World Cup history.
After the match, Saudi fans were in the mood for celebration – and at Messi’s expense. As they were leaving the stadium, a large group of Saudi fans could be seen breaking out Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic ‘Siu’ celebration.
😅 Saudíes saliendo del estadio tras ganar en el primer partido del Mundial a Argentina.
¿Celebración a lo Cristiano? Están que no se lo creen #Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/jJRBtAISQW
— MARCA (@marca) November 22, 2022
It summed up the general euphoria for Saudi Arabia as they enjoyed a moment in the world spotlight. It also leaves them top of their group, ahead of Mexico and Poland, who drew.
It sparked delight over the border in the Kingdom too, with Wednesday being declared a national holiday for Saudi Arabia to mark the result.
POV: You're top of your World Cup group after the first round and tomorrow is a national holiday.pic.twitter.com/cl7dUf3nI6
— Football España (@footballespana_) November 22, 2022
Ahahahha wonderful!
Argentina 🇦🇷 are surely winning that group and are still world Cup favourites……What happened to them can happen to anyone
Yea, they were surely winning KSA as well….