Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Alowais shows sublime skills as underdogs rock Argentina 2-1 in FIFA World Cup opener


Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Alowais shows sublime skills as underdogs rock Argentina 2-1 in FIFA World Cup opener

Lionel Messi - IMAGO / Fotoarena

It was messy not Messi for Argentina in the lung opener of the FIFA World Cup against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. The Saudi fans were a sea of green inside the stands. On the pitch, the bottle-green Saudi players were livewire, with their goalkeeper and solid defense sufficing for a 2-1 shock win. To say that this was the mother of all upsets in the World Cup would be stating the obvious.

Down a goal, the way the Saudis bounced back was joyful to watch. Yes, the hype was on Lionel Messi. He did not look like a lion nor did Di Maria. Messi did score the first goal, a penalty. After that, the show was all about how the players from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would stand out. The two goals which the winners produced knocked the stuffing out of the men in white and blue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDQ5MKgzCEI

Sample this, the way Saleh Alshehri and Salem Aldawsari scored goals eight minutes after the break was mind-blowing. For sheer punch and pugnacity, it shocked Argentina, who, on this day, were looking club class not world-class. What was it that made Argentina look so average today. Well, you can talk of form guide, who is the best team, and so on, on paper.

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What matters on the football pitch is performance and pride. The Saudis were on fire, literally. High in energy, the way they held out in the last 35 minutes, extra time included, showed they were not going to get bullied or buried. Indeed, if one could pick a single player for being rock solid, it had to be the Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed Alowais, the 31-year-old.

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Saleh Al-Shehri celebrates with fellow Saudi Arabian players after scoring his goal  against Argentina - IMAGO / Shutterstock
Saleh Al-Shehri celebrates with fellow Saudi Arabian players after scoring his goal – IMAGO / Shutterstock

In a sport like football, it’s usually the forwards and playmakers who hog the limelight. There were opportunities created by Argentina, even when they were 0-2 down but Alowais showed alacrity and an unconventional style of charging out to make saves. One such attempt in the last second of the regulation time looked so scary when Alowais had come out.

A bullet shot was taken by an Argentine player, but sub Abdulah Al-Amri produced a header save which was simply world-class after the GK was beaten. He was inches outside the goal line. Yet, the sub’s reaction time was so fast, a split second, it could have beaten even a fighter pilot at the controls of a beast in the sky doing some crazy maneuver.

If you had taken a quick wink, you would have missed that beauty of action from the Saudi. It was this spirit from the minnows which caught the eye. They say the underdog can be dangerous. Fans can rave about Messi and later Ronaldo when Portugal play. Tonight, it will all be about the Saudis partying, of course, minus Budweiser. They do not believe in such fizz to celebrate.

All the fizz and pop they needed to show on the field came in a match lasting almost 100 minutes, injury time and stoppage included.
Agreed, the stadium temperature was controlled. Yet, to be playing such sublime football in a charged atmosphere where the arena was packed to the rafters showed the Saudis were resilient. Sport is won more in the mind than the moves.

If you look at match stats, data, and so on, Argentina had greater possession and more creativity. Yet, the Saudis had bottled up Messi well and the magician himself had forgotten how best he could beat the defense with his left foot magic. You could well say, my foot. Today it was about Saudi Arabia showing how to soak in the atmosphere. It could have been easy for them to jump into a 2-1 lead and then slacken.

No, they did not. Their strategy was smart, most important, not to flounder in defense. This is a lesson for the bigger teams, how to handle the onslaught and pressure from a side that is being touted to win the World Cup. The pundits and former greats are already talking about this being the mother of all upsets in the FIFA World Cup. It was in 1974 last, Argentina lost their opener in the World Cup.

That they would be haunted and hunted like this was least expected. Then again, nobody will still predict Saudi Arabia is going to win the trophy. Tonight, they seized the moment and momentum, so important in modern football. People compare the playing styles of teams. One word will sum up what Saudi Arabia showed.

Their style was all about playing from the heart and not letting the adrenaline flow work them up. Now we know why the team is called KSA, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia!

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