Sport

Saudi Arabia declares public holiday after historic win against Argentina

Published

2 years ago

November 23, 2022

(Last Updated On: )

Saudi Arabia shocked Argentina in the World Cup on Tuesday with a 2-1 victory over Lionel Messi’s side, prompting an outpouring of Arab pride amidst the first staging of soccer’s top tournament in the Middle East, Reuters reported.

King Salman declared a public holiday in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to mark the achievement, a feather in the cap of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who recommended the royal order state media said.

Prince Mohammed was not seen at the match but had been front and centre at the tournament opening on Sunday.

According to Reuters one of Prince Mohammed’s brothers, Prince Saud, posted pictures on Instagram showing the crown prince prostrating in thanks to God in a room where his other brother Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz was also present, shown holding a Saudi flag and standing next to a smiling crown prince.

It was also a sweet moment for host Qatar, facing intense criticism over human rights in the conservative Muslim country. Qatar’s emir draped the Saudi flag over his shoulders at the match. A Doha skyscraper flashed “Congratulations Greens.”

“Wow! I have all the feelings right now. We beat Argentina, one of the great teams!” said Saad from Riyadh who is in Qatar for two weeks and was wearing a green Saudi Falcons scarf.

“Our guys played so well – everything went right inside the stadium today. It was amazing.”

On his fifth and final quest for the only major trophy to elude him, Messi, 35, scored a 10th minute penalty in a dominant first half display by Argentina during which he and Lautaro Martinez also had a combined three goals disallowed for offside, Reuters reported.

But Saudi Arabia, the second-lowest ranked team in the tournament after Ghana, threw caution to the wind at the start of the second half, charging at Argentina in front of a frenzied 88,012 crowd to end their opponents’ 36-game unbeaten run.

The entire game was played in an extraordinary atmosphere at the Lusail Stadium, with Argentina’s traditionally massive and raucous following matched by the thousands of Saudis who had come over the border to cheer on their team.

Related Topics:Argentina featured public holiday Saudi Arabia

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AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers: Myanmar defeat Afghanistan 2-1

Published

6 hours ago

March 25, 2025

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: )

Afghanistan’s national football team went down 2-1 to Myanmar in their first match of the third round of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.

The match was held on Tuesday at the stadium in Yangon, the capital of Myanmar.

The only goal for Afghanistan was scored in the 14th minute by Omid Popalzay.

Afghanistan is in Group E along with Myanmar, Pakistan, and Syria.

The national team’s next match will be on June 10 against Syria. The venue is still to be decided.

Sport

Afghanistan eliminated from Asian Beach Soccer Championship

Published

9 hours ago

March 25, 2025

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: )

Afghanistan’s national beach soccer team was defeated 6-4 by Indonesia in their third and final match of the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup 2025, resulting in their elimination from the tournament.

The match took place on Tuesday in Thailand.

In their first and second games, Afghanistan lost to the United Arab Emirates and Iran, respectively.

Sport

ACB name U19 team for Nepal tour and World Cup Asia Qualifiers

Published

10 hours ago

March 25, 2025

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: )

Afghanistan Cricket Board’s National Selection Committee this week finalized the Afghanistan National U19 team squad for the upcoming Youth ODI Series against Nepal, as well as the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup Asia Qualifiers scheduled for next month in Nepal.

The selection process for the National U19 Team included rigorous training and preparation camps over the past five months.

The final phase of the team’s training concluded in Khost province, where the top 19 players engaged in skill development, fitness training, and multiple practice matches.

The squad is set to depart for Nepal later this month, where they will meet the home U19 side in three Youth ODIs from April 3 to 9 in Mulpani.

The team will then proceed to the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup Asia Qualifiers, which will take place from April 13 to 19 in the same country.

The Future Stars are scheduled to face Oman, Hong Kong, the UAE, and the host nation Nepal in a round-robin format.

The team that finishes at the top of the table will qualify for the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup 2026 in Zimbabwe and Namibia.

Interim Chief Selector, Ahmad Shah Sulimankhil: “Qualification for the U19 World Cup is our ultimate goal. Keeping this in mind, we have prepared our squad through rigorous training and multiple preparation phases, which helped us finalize the 17-man squad.

“The boys have shown great enthusiasm and readiness to perform at the international level, and we are confident that they will do well in both events.”

Afghanistan Squad for the Nepal Youth ODI Series and the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup Asia Qualifiers: Mehboob Khan (Captain & Wicket-Keeper), Khalid Ahmadzai (WK), Uzair Khan, Faisal Khan, Barakatullah Ibrahimzai, Nazeef Amiri, Aziz Miakhil, Wahidullah Zadran, Zaitullah Shaheen, Hafeez Zadran, Abdul Aziz Khan, Nasratullah Nooristani, Khatir Stanikzai, Salam Khan, Izat Noor Shirzad, Kamal Khan and Rohullah Arab.