A public holiday was declared Wednesday in Saudi Arabia after their famous 2022 World Cup (opens in a new tab) win against Argentina.
The Green Falcons came from behind in the second half to claim an extraordinary 2-1 win over one of the pre-tournament favorites (opens in a new tab) in Qatar in the Group C opener.
It was one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history (opens in a new tab)and one of the greatest results in the history of the Saudi national team – which was recognized by the government.
Multiple reports indicate that a public holiday was declared on Wednesday for all state employees, private sector workers and students.
Argentina were on a 36-game unbeaten streak since 2019 before their opener against the Saudis.
The chances of a shocking result looked slim to say the least as the teams entered the break with Argentina 1-0 down thanks to a Lionel Messi penalty, having had three more goals disallowed for offside.
But Saudi Arabia struck twice in the space of four minutes early in the second half to turn the tide and stage a victory that sparked euphoric scenes in the Middle Eastern nation.
It’s the fifth World Cup the Saudis have taken part in, but they haven’t reached the round of 16 since their first outing in 1994.
They reached the round of 16 on that occasion and are in a good position to repeat the feat in Qatar if they can get results against Poland and Mexico in their remaining games.
