Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Thursday, Dec 04, 2025

Amid jubilation of historic win, Saudi Arabia begin preparations to face Poland Saturday

Amid jubilation of historic win, Saudi Arabia begin preparations to face Poland Saturday

Amid jubilation that reverberates within the Kingdom and all over the Arab world following Saudi Arabia’s stunning victory over Argentina in one of the biggest shocks in the World Cup’s history, the business is as usual for the Green Falcons.
The Saudi national squad members resumed their hectic training session on Wednesday at Sealine Resort Stadium under the supervision of Coach Herve Renard in preparation for their second game in Group C of the World Cup 2022.

The Saudi team will meet Poland on Saturday, Nov. 26. The Green Falcons then take on Mexico next Tuesday, Nov. 29 in the last match. Leading the training session on Wednesday, Renard expressed satisfaction with the session.

The Green Falcons will continue their preparations on Thursday with a training session at 4 pm, as it will be open to the media in the first quarter of an hour.

Meanwhile, midfielder Riyad Sharahili, who had suffered a muscle injury, continued his special training, accompanied by the medical staff. On the other hand, the medical examinations for the Saudi squad’s captain Salman Al-Faraj revealed that he had an injury to the shin bone after he was forced out of the match with Argentina. Renard said on Tuesday that Al-Faraj will not play in the remaining matches.

Both Poland and Mexico are probably still favorites against Saudi Arabia — despite the upset. Renard, the architect of Tuesday’s historic win, was fully aware of this reality and he is so cautious about the toughness of the forthcoming matches. This was manifested in his comments in the post-match press conference on Tuesday.

“We made history for Saudi football and it will stay forever. This is the most important, but we also need to think about looking forward because we still have two games that are very very difficult for us,” he said.

Renard said he asked his players to limit the celebration after the game to 20 minutes. “That’s all,” he said. “But there are still two games — or more.”

Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais, one of the star performers of Tuesday’s historic win, is also hopeful of continuing the winning streak against Poland and Mexico. “We have prepared ourselves. We were 100 percent ready and hopefully, we will have better results in the future.”

Al-Owais caught almost everything that came his way in the match at the packed Lusail Stadium and foiled numerous desperate attempts by Lionel Messi and his squad members to equalize the game in the last minutes. Despite trailing 1-0 at halftime after a 10th-minute goal from Messi, perhaps the greatest soccer player of all time, Saleh Alshehri and Salem Al-Dawsari managed to score a goal each early in the second half.

Many had expected the South American team, ranked third in the world, unbeaten for three years and among the favorites to lift the World Cup, to sweep aside its opponent, ranked 51st in the world and 48 places below Argentina in the world rankings.

Argentina dominated the first half and went ahead through Messi’s first-half penalty. But a stunning fight back from Saudi Arabia after the break saw Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari score in the span of five minutes to leave Argentina defeated for the first time since June 2019, a run of 36 incredible matches. It has been described as one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history as Al-Shehri and Al Dawsari’s brilliant quick-fire double secured them a huge win.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
As Trump Deepens Ties with Saudi Arabia, Push for Israel Normalization Takes a Back Seat
Thai Food Village Debuts at Saudi Feast Food Festival 2025 Under Thai Commerce Minister Suphajee’s Lead
Saudi Arabia Sharpens Its Strategic Vision as Economic Transformation Enters New Phase
Saudi Arabia Projects $44 Billion Budget Shortfall in 2026 as Economy Rebalances
OPEC+ Unveils New Capacity-Based System to Anchor Future Oil Output Levels
Hong Kong Residents Mourn Victims as 1,500 People Relocated After Devastating Tower Fire
Saudi Arabia’s SAMAI Initiative Surpasses One-Million-Citizen Milestone in National AI Upskilling Drive
Saudi Arabia’s Specialty Coffee Market Set to Surge as Demand Soars and New Exhibition Drops in December
Saudi Arabia Moves to Open Two New Alcohol Stores for Foreigners Under Vision 2030 Reform
Saudi Arabia’s AI Ambitions Gain Momentum — but Water, Talent and Infrastructure Pose Major Hurdles
Tensions Surface in Trump-MBS Talks as Saudi Pushes Back on Israel Normalisation
Saudi Arabia Signals Major Maritime Crack-Down on Houthi Routes in Red Sea
Italy and Saudi Arabia Seal Over 20 Strategic Deals at Business Forum in Riyadh
COP30 Ends Without Fossil Fuel Phase-Out as US, Saudi Arabia and Russia Align in Obstruction Role
Saudi-Portuguese Economic Horizons Expand Through Strategic Business Council
DHL Commits $150 Million for Landmark Logistics Hub in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Aramco Weighs Disposals Amid $10 Billion-Plus Asset Sales Discussion
Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince for Major Defence and Investment Agreements
Families Accuse OpenAI of Enabling ‘AI-Driven Delusions’ After Multiple Suicides
Riyadh Metro Records Over One Hundred Million Journeys as Saudi Capital Accelerates Transit Era
Trump’s Grand Saudi Welcome Highlights U.S.–Riyadh Pivot as Israel Watches Warily
U.S. Set to Sell F-35 Jets to Saudi Arabia in Major Strategic Shift
Saudi Arabia Doubles Down on U.S. Partnership in Strategic Move
Saudi Arabia Charts Tech and Nuclear Leap Under Crown Prince’s U.S. Visit
Trump Elevates Saudi Arabia to Major Non-NATO Ally Amid Defense Deal
Trump Elevates Saudi Arabia to Major Non-NATO Ally as MBS Visit Yields Deepened Ties
Iran Appeals to Saudi Arabia to Mediate Restart of U.S. Nuclear Talks
Musk, Barra and Ford Join Trump in Lavish White House Dinner for Saudi Crown Prince
Lawmaker Seeks Declassification of ‘Shocking’ 2019 Call Between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince
US and Saudi Arabia Forge Strategic Defence Pact Featuring F-35 Sale and $1 Trillion Investment Pledge
Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund Emerges as Key Contender in Warner Bros. Discovery Sale
Trump Secures Sweeping U.S.–Saudi Agreements on Jets, Technology and Massive Investment
Detroit CEOs Join White House Dinner as U.S.–Saudi Auto Deal Accelerates
Netanyahu Secures U.S. Assurance That Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge Will Remain Despite Saudi F-35 Deal
Ronaldo Joins Trump and Saudi Crown Prince’s Gala Amid U.S.–Gulf Tech and Investment Surge
U.S.–Saudi Investment Forum Sees U.S. Corporate Titans and Saudi Royalty Forge Billion-Dollar Ties
Elon Musk’s xAI to Deploy 500-Megawatt Saudi Data Centre with State-backed Partner HUMAIN
U.S. Clears Export of Advanced AI Chips to Saudi Arabia and UAE Amid Strategic Tech Partnership
xAI Selects Saudi Data-Centre as First Customer of Nvidia-Backed Humain Project
President Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Washington Amid Strategic Deal Talks
Saudi Crown Prince to Press Trump for Direct U.S. Role in Ending Sudan War
Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince: Five Key Takeaways from the White House Meeting
Trump Firmly Defends Saudi Crown Prince Over Khashoggi Murder Amid Washington Visit
Trump Backs Saudi Crown Prince Over Khashoggi Killing Amid White House Visit
Trump Publicly Defends Saudi Crown Prince Over Khashoggi Killing During Washington Visit
President Donald Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at White House to Seal Major Defence and Investment Deals
Saudi Arabia’s Solar Surge Signals Unlikely Shift in Global Oil Powerhouse
Saudi Crown Prince Receives Letter from Iranian President Ahead of U.S. Visit
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Begins Washington Visit to Cement Long-Term U.S. Alliance
Saudi Crown Prince Meets Trump in Washington to Deepen Defence, AI and Nuclear Ties
×