‘We didn’t do anything big’, says Saudi midfielder after beating Messi’s Argentina

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Saudi Arabia’s surprising 2-1 comeback victory over Messi’s Argentina, in the debut of both teams in the World Cup, impressed the world of football. The Saudi athletes, however, did not show great enthusiasm and, after the game, tried to treat that result as normal.

Midfielder Abdulelah Al-Malki said that the victory against one of the favorites for the title, in a game that marked the debut of the Argentine number 10 in his last Cup, did not require special preparation. “We didn’t do anything much. We did the same preparation as always.”

In a monotone, striker Saleh Alshehri tried to make it clear that his country’s objective is to advance. “We still have two matches to go. I hope we can get through and go to the round of 16.”

Asked if the victory over Argentina was special, he said yes and that beating the “favorite to the Cup title” is a “big boost”.

However, asked if he believed he could win, he resumed his blasé speech. “Honestly, we believed in ourselves. It doesn’t matter who the opponent is,” he said.

In the second part of the interview, he, who played in Portugal, answered in Portuguese. “We are very happy for this game, we won against a great team. Now we have three points and two games to go.”

The speech to the press, however, differed from what was seen in the selection’s locker room after the match. Video posted on social media showed a huge party.

Argentina opened the scoring in the first half, with a penalty converted by Messi, and also had three goals annulled with the help of VAR. In the second stage, with a direct goal from Salem Aldawsari, Saudi Arabia turned and secured the victory.

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