Saudi Arabia's fans still loving their football heroes

Country still in with a chance of qualifying for World Cup knockout games

Salem Al Dawsari applauds Saudi fans after losing to Poland. Getty
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Saudi Arabia may have lost to Poland in the Fifa World Cup on Saturday, but they were feeling the love from fans still celebrating the team's historic win over Argentina last week.

“I am proud of my team, it was not our day but we haven’t given up hope," said Feras Mahmood, a Saudi Arabia fan in Qatar. "We hope to win the next game against Mexico.”

Football fan Mohannad Bashir said: “The atmosphere in the stadium was intense even before the game started and when we started singing the national anthem in the crowd it was such a beautiful poignant moment for us.”

Nawaf Abdullah travelled to Qatar to watch the match. “We came to watch the game together at Prince Faisal bin Fahad Olympic Complex (Green Halls) in Riyadh,” he said.

“The Saudi team should not be demoralised, we have to learn from our mistakes and have to come back stronger.”

Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal also attended the football game.

Manal Khattab, a Saudi sports enthusiast in Jeddah, said: “We are and will continue cheering on The Greens.

“We believe in our team and hope to win the next game and the World Cup.”

Jude Linjawi, a Saudi university student in Jeddah, said: "The most important thing is our excitement and how the love for football brought us together,” said “Winning and losing is normal at least they tried and that’s what’s important.”

Saudi Arabia’s final match is against Mexico and they are still in with a chance of qualifying for the knockout games.

Updated: November 26, 2022, 5:09 PM