World Cup 2022 results, scores, schedule: England v USA, Lucy Zelic attacks Sokkah Twitter
Australian football fans have taken to social media to vent over the shocking state of the $300-a-night accommodation they have been assigned in Qatar.
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Furious World Cup fans have complained that they already want to go home after their $300-a-night accommodation was flooded with sewage.
Furious World Cup fans have complained that they already want to go home after their $300-a-night accommodation was flooded with sewage.
Fed-up Australian supporters have only seen the Socceroos play one game but are considering selling up their tickets and leaving Qatar.
While plenty of fans have loved their World Cup experiences, a number have complained about the shoddy state of accommodation and chaotic scenes in the fan zones.
Many reports have filtered through of serious issues at the fan villages designed for fans of different countries to stay in together.
Problems with accommodation have been reported at the Barwa Barahat Al Janoub Housing Unit, the Fan Village Cabins Zarafan, the Free Zone Fan Village, and the Saffron Fan Village.
Qatar has already offered full refunds and new accommodation to World Cup fans staying in some of the worst tent villages.
A number of supporters reportedly arrived on time, only to be made to wait through the night while their rooms were made ready.
But when they finally got into their accommodation, they discovered the accommodation, many of which cost on average $300 a night, had leaking bathrooms flooded with sewage and no hot water.
Posting on a forum for fans in Qatar, one Aussie supporter said: “Anyone else in the fan villages having a horrible experience?
“Leakage in the bathroom causing flooding, no hot water, customer service have been overrun with people’s complaints.”
They added: “Honestly don’t know what to do. We’re considering selling our tickets and leaving early but I think our chances for a refund on the accommodation are low.”
Another fan complained: “We are in the Baraw village and our apartment has been flooded with sewage 2 days in a row.”
They said officials claimed to have fixed the problem and had sent a team of cleaners, “but they also said that yesterday”.
The fan went on: “We gave up and found accommodation elsewhere. If you need a number of a guy I can give it to you.
“He is a property manager and rents furnished apartments out by the month but just stay how long you need. It’s the same price.”
Aussies aren’t the only supporters to complain about the state of facilities for some of the World Cup fans.
A number have ranted online, saying there were a lack of buses, airconditioning units didn’t work, and pre-booked accommodation wasn’t available.
Others have said their accommodation was unfinished even after the World Cup had started.
One supporter compared the fan village at Zafaran to “a refugee camp”.
They questioned why a country the size of Qatar had been given a World Cup.
“Half a population of a country staying for a month was never going to be achieved,” they said.
Another claimed they were unable to access their room hours after arriving.
“Management delegation in the village of Saffron fans,” they wrote. “Hundreds of fans who have reservations have not received their rooms under the pretext that there are no available rooms and that there are no twin rooms?”
They added: “And the situation is as it is today, Morocco, without a solution. Chaos after chaos and the staff is very bad.”
In a statement, the Qatari Supreme Committee told The Sun Online: “We are aware that a number of fans have faced delays checking into select Fan Village accommodation due to owner and operator negligence.
“A section of units in these facilities, which are delivered and managed by different private entities, have not met the required standards that were advertised to fans.
“While these sites are managed by independent commercial entities, rectifying these issues remains the utmost priority for the Supreme Committee.
“Full refunds are being offered to fans severely impacted by this issue as well as alternative accommodation which will be free of charge for the duration of their stay.”
‘TYRANTS’: LUCY ZELIC WHACKS AUS SOKKAH TWITTER
Heading suddenly into a make-or-break Group D clash against Tunisia on Saturday night, the public debate has seemingly centred on Australian coach Graham Arnold’s tentative tactics of siting back and letting the French attack dictate terms.
Socceroos great Robbie Slater wrote that the Australians were exposed all over the park by France.
FitzSimons appeared to arrive at the same conclusion when sharing his thoughts on Australia’s opening performance on his Twitter account and in a newspaper column.
Football commentator Simon Hill did not take kindly to Fitzsimmons’ opinion and let him know about it.
“Ave a go…I don’t know anything about the game…Tommy Raudonikis…soccerâ€
— simonhill1894 (@simonhill1894) November 24, 2022
Sigh. Why are we STILL getting these sorts of “analysis†pieces on the biggest sporting event on the planet?
Depressing. https://t.co/I17NcmXton
And Hill’s response was emblematic of Australian Sokkah Twitter’s desire to pile on anyone ‘outsider’ who dared criticise their team or sport.
Respected journalist Lucy Zelic, who has had her own runins with non-football fans in the past, leapt to Fitzsimmons’ defence on Saturday afternoon.
Days later, I am still struggling to understand why people are so offended by Peter’s OBSERVATION and genuine questions about the NATIONAL team’s performance? In addition to being an Aussie, the man very modestly also admitted he doesn’t know much about the game.. https://t.co/J4CS59xNZo
— Lucy Zelić (@LucyZelic) November 26, 2022
Yet somehow, because he’s classified as an ‘outsider’ and not an ex-player, diehard fan or moaning about the state of the game like the rest of us, he’s not entitled to enter into the debate?
— Lucy Zelić (@LucyZelic) November 26, 2022
I used to routinely sit in on the @LadiesWhoLeague (rugby league) podcast, purely because I enjoy the game (long-suffering Raiders fan) and love the host Mary K. Not once was I piled on or told to stay in my lane because I had no idea what I was talking about.
— Lucy Zelić (@LucyZelic) November 26, 2022
If you want to find out what’s wrong with Australian football you don’t have to search far and wide because the answer is: Australian football.
— Lucy Zelić (@LucyZelic) November 26, 2022
We’ve had a league collapse, our current competition spent the majority of its existence hidden behind a paywall and still does today, we charge kids at state level between $1-3k just to play, one of the fixtures in the A-League this season alone drew a crowd of 2,423 people..
— Lucy Zelić (@LucyZelic) November 26, 2022
..memberships and General Admission tickets are outrageously priced, we don’t have promotion/relegation, we introduced - then scrapped the NCIP, some state league teams and their fans are still pissed off and living in the past..
— Lucy Zelić (@LucyZelic) November 26, 2022
..for years our governing body was controlled by self-obsessed tyrants who wouldn’t know true leadership if it smacked them senseless, those same ‘leaders’ threw our own fans under the bus, we shut down the AIS which was a known and proven talent identification program..
— Lucy Zelić (@LucyZelic) November 26, 2022
..we now trust A-Leagues clubs to develop our players (oops, except you Brisbane Roar) with no one held accountable for failure, we had zero legacy off the back of the Asian Cup in 2015..
— Lucy Zelić (@LucyZelic) November 26, 2022
..the Matildas were forced to strike in 2015 just improve their pay conditions, our A-Leagues women’s players are paid a pittance with some youngsters exploited entirely, media outlets expect their talent to be cheerleaders for football rather than journalists..
— Lucy Zelić (@LucyZelic) November 26, 2022
..our u16s finished dead LAST at the AFF Championships in a group with Myanmar, Cambodia and Malaysia and we were lucky to qualify for this World Cup and the last. Tell me, what exactly about all of this makes us an attractive proposition and not an easy target?
— Lucy Zelić (@LucyZelic) November 26, 2022
This will sound impossibly rich coming from me because I spent the better part of my career defending the game to ‘external’ personalities and journalists constantly (hello you lot over at the AFL) but the benefit of hindsight has taught me that none of it mattered..
— Lucy Zelić (@LucyZelic) November 26, 2022
All it did was justify their opinions of us, which is that we’ve created a virtual cocoon of arrogance, exclusivity and elitism around our sport, where anyone that has an opinion on the game and it’s constituents are ‘biased’, ‘racist’ or ‘clueless’..
— Lucy Zelić (@LucyZelic) November 26, 2022
..and the only ones that can join us have to be rich, ethnic, have played professionally or grown up worshipping the game. It’s the exclusive club that loves to defend itself when questioned from the outside but are doing a damn good job of eating themselves from the inside out.
— Lucy Zelić (@LucyZelic) November 26, 2022
Our own football fans LIVING in this country won’t turn up to A-Leagues games but complain when the coverage is lacking in the mainstream, when government direct funds elsewhere and when outsiders take pot shots at us, so what hope in hell do we have?
— Lucy Zelić (@LucyZelic) November 26, 2022
This morning I listened to a radio segment where the co-host thought Craig Goodwin was a billiards player. Seriously. I laughed. Partly because it was good content but also because it reminded me where we’re at..
— Lucy Zelić (@LucyZelic) November 26, 2022
We whinge that the nation only cares about football every four years but what have we done between World Cups to make them care? In 1989, Kevin Costner said “If you build it, he will come†and so far, we have built a sandcastle on perilously shaky ground.
— Lucy Zelić (@LucyZelic) November 26, 2022
So you can get angry at people like @Peter_Fitz all you like but debate is what makes our game great. We should welcome it, particularly when our national team is playing because they belong to the country, not just the dingy and dark corners of Sokkah Twitter.
— Lucy Zelić (@LucyZelic) November 26, 2022
REPORTER HAS A SH*T OF A DAY IN QATAR
One Wales fan snubbed a Sky reporter and another swore live on TV after their World Cup defeat to Iran.The Dragons’ hopes of reaching the Round of 16 are all-but over after they conceded twice in stoppage-time and lost 2-0.
They were heading for a goalless draw, but a moment of madness from Wayne Hennessey gave Iran the upper hand.
The Nottingham Forest stopper was sent off for a wild challenge on Mehdi Taremi outside his box.
And Carlos Queiroz’s took full advantage after a quickfire double from Rouzbeh Cheshmi and Razmin Rezaeian saw them claim the win.
Wales’ first World Cup in 64 years is set to end at the first hurdle and the Red Wall were understandably disappointed.
A couple of fans were particularly annoyed.
13 secs of TV gold on Sky News 😂
— Mahyar Tousi (@MahyarTousi) November 25, 2022
Both interview attempts failed badly for two different reasons… pic.twitter.com/IxBWs6Brs9
Asked by a Sky reporter: “What is your reaction to the win?” He responded with “we lost!”.
He apologised, but the supporter wasn’t having any of it and walked away.
Another was asked his thoughts and simply replied: “S**t”.
It was the perfect response and summed up what was a day to forget for the Welsh.
FOOTBALL’S DARK DAY: IRAN FANS EXPOSE WORLD CUP POLICE
Football fans believed to be from Iran have taken to social media to expose the unbelievable treatment they have endured at the hands of police at the World Cup for wearing #WomanLifeFreedom T-shirts.
Arrested and detained for hours after Iran beat Wales 2-0 in their second group match, Saeed Kamalinia described what he and his peers were put through as a “dark day for football”.
“A dark day for football fans and FIFA,” he wrote on Twitter.
“We are just being released from police station 4 hrs after finish of the game, while 3 of our friends still are in custody. Crime? Wearing #WomanLifeFreedom T-shirts. Are you watching @FIFAcom @FIFAWorldCup
A dark day for football fans and FIFA. We are just being released from police station 4 hrs after finish of the game, while 3 of our friends still are in custody. Crime? Wearing #WomanLifeFreedom T-shirts. Are you watching @FIFAcom@FIFAWorldCup
— Saeed Kamalinia (@skamalinia) November 25, 2022
“They were not violent to us; actually tried to be nice but another person was dragged on the ground when being arrested for wearing the Royal flag (ShiroKhorshid)T-shirt.
“They are very strict about taking videos and that’s why not many news come out but the situation is horrible.”
Iran fans have been part of multiple protests in Qatar in a bid to shine more light on Mahsa Amini’s death. She died while in the custody of Iran’s morality police in September, sparking anti-government protests.
The Iranian football team also protested in their opening match against England by boycotting their national anthem.
Kamalinia added an image of fans with posters bearing Amini’s name with the caption: “How is this harming anybody? Which one is a violation @FIFAcom ? #WomanLifeFreedom ? #MahsaAmini Name of the 22-yr young killed in custody?
“#Voria the soccer player arrested for supporting his people? Choosing your outfit? The picture was taken minutes before we were detained.”
Earlier on Saturday, a woman wearing a T-shirt with Amini’s name was prevented from wearing it to the match while another was confronted by security after she held up a shirt bearing the name Amini.
How is this harming anybody? Which one is a violation @FIFAcom ? #WomanLifeFreedom ? #MahsaAmini Name of the 22-yr young killed in custody? #Voria the soccer player arrested for supporting his people? Choosing your outfit? The picture was taken minutes before we were detained pic.twitter.com/OSC7K7jIF9
— Saeed Kamalinia (@skamalinia) November 26, 2022
11:45AM MEDIA’S BRUTAL TROLLING AFTER ‘F*** THEM UP’ SLEDGE
Croatian media have taken World Cup trolling to a whole new level after taking out a front page with a naked mock-up of Canada coach John Herdman.
Days after the Canadian warned Croatia his side would f*** them up when they meet in the second matches of the group stage, tabloid 24 Sata has brutally mocked the head coach.
“I told them (Canada) they belong here and we’re going to go and eff--- Croatia,” Herdman said after Canada’s opening 1-0 defeat to Belgium. “That’s as simple as it gets.”
The response from Croatia was the nude front page with a Canadian flag in the shape of a maple leaf covering Herdman’s modesty.
It had the caption: “You have the mouth, but do you have the balls as well?”
Herdman was asked about his comments and if he regretted saying them in the heat of the moment.
He simply doubled down.
“You say those things in an impassioned moment,” he said. “Trying to inspire your team in a huddle. And when you’re asked the question what you said in that huddle, yeah, it was what I said.
“It’s not massively respectful to (the) Croatian people and the Croatian national team. I understand very well where they’re at on the world stage. But in that moment, you’ve taken your men to that next place. You’ve taken your team to that next place — that we’re here to be fearless and to bring everything we’ve got to that game.
“I mean no disrespect to the Croatian team and Croatian people, but at the end of the day it’s a mindset that Canada’s going to have if we’re going to have three points against one of the top teams in the world. And it’s the mindset that we took to Belgium.”
Croatia’s coach responded to Herdman’s threat saying: “I’m not sure how nice it is to say something like that but it’s his right.
“I think we need to show on the pitch that we’re better.”
FLOPTUS 2.0: SBS STREAM SLAMMED AS DISMAL ENGLAND FAIL
Football fans are fuming on two counts with England and the USA playing out the most dismal draw and SBS’s streaming platform crashing in the dying moments.
England’s players were booed as they left the field after missing the chance to qualify for the last 16 of the World Cup with a game to spare.
Christian Pulisic hit the bar in the first half for the USA, who must beat Iran in their final Group B match to advance.
But the real frustrations came from fans that had managed to stay awake during the 90-minute snooze fest only for their streaming to cut out minutes from the full-time whistle.
“Apologies, it was a case of human error with the SBS streaming set up, not a technical problem that will be repeatable,” the TV giants sent out as an automated reply to all complaints on social media.
But it seems audience frustrations are not limited to the England v USA clash.
@SBS bought the rights for the World Cup so Optus Sports doesn't mess it up again. One week in and all streaming on SBSonDemand is gone 🤦ðŸ»ðŸ˜…
— Richard Haddad (@RichardHaddadAU) November 25, 2022
Looks like the whole SBS streaming platform died.
— West Sydney Football (@WestSydney) November 25, 2022
Apologies, it was a case of human error with the SBS streaming set up, not a technical problem that will be repeatable.
— SBS Sport (@SBSSportau) November 25, 2022
8:40AM ENGLAND MAKE ONE LOVE STATEMENT....OF SORTS
Wembley was lit up in rainbow colours ahead of England’s World Cup clash with the United States on Friday in a show of support to the LGBTQ community.
England were one of seven European nations who backtracked on plans for captains to wear rainbow-themed armbands bearing the message “One Love” during the tournament in Qatar under threat of sporting sanctions from FIFA.
In response, Germany posed for a photograph with their hands over their mouths ahead of Wednesday’s 2-1 defeat to Japan with a statement from the German Football Association saying “human rights are non-negotiable.” The English Football Association (FA) have been criticised at home for backing down on wearing the armband.
“Attempting to eradicate discrimination of any kind, including homophobia, from football is something which everyone at The FA believes in strongly and have looked to support for a number of years,” the FA said in a statement.
“The FA will continue to show our support to the LGBTQ+ community and all other communities during this tournament and long beyond, starting with lighting up the Wembley Stadium arch in rainbow colours for Friday night’s match with the USA. #OneLove #FAForAll.” The display of the rainbow has proved a major talking point in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal, with some spectators ordered to remove items of clothing with the logo during the first phase of matches.
#England have lit up the #Wembley arch in rainbow colours as a protest after the FA were warned Harry Kane would face serious punishment for wearing a One Love armband at the #Qatar World Cup. pic.twitter.com/GHQyb7bhxJ
— IGC NEWS INTERNATIONL (@NewsIgc) November 25, 2022
7:45AM ‘F*** MESSI’: UGLY SCENES AS FANS FIGHT IN THE STREET
Argentina fans clashed with their Mexican counterparts in a fan zone in Qatar after supporters filmed themselves chanting “f*** Messi”.
Tensions boiled over in the supporters’ area at the Al Bidda Park in Doha on Wednesday night after Mexican supporters were seen insulting the Argentina superstar.
Rival fans came to blows in Qatar ahead of Saturday’s Group C clash between Argentina and Mexico.
Qatari authorities didn’t appear to be present in the footage, which raises concerns ahead of the weekend’s game, with 80,000 fans set to descend on the Lusail Stadium.
Several people are believed to have suffered minor injuries in the scrap which took place in one of FIFA’s dedicated fan zones, designed for World Cup supporters from different nations to watch their teams together.
The ugly scenes came just a day after Argentina were stunned by Saudi Arabia 2-1, in one of the biggest World Cup shocks of all time.
LOS HECHOS VIOLENTOS EN QATAR https://t.co/5KQp2ym7iM
— Omar Niño Noticias (@OmarNNoticias) November 25, 2022
Lionel Messi’s team were one of the pre-tournament favourites, and seemed to be on their way to a routine opening victory when the PSG forward put them ahead from the spot.
But the Saudis turned the game around with second-half strikes from Salah Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari, making Saturday’s game with Mexico all the more critical.
A defeat for either side would leave them on the brink of elimination.
And the tensions were clearly on display at the Al Bidda Park, after a group of Mexican supporters filmed themselves chanting “f*** Messi”.
Video posted on Twitter shows groups of supporters clashing, with several launching kicks and punches at their rivals.
Mexican journalist Omar Nino who was at the scene reported that several fans required treatment for minor injuries.
It is the worst reported crowd trouble at the Qatar tournament so far, after a largely peaceful World Cup.
7:45 ENGLAND DRAW IN WORLD CUP SNOOZEFEST
In what (for me) has been the WORST match of the Cup so far, England and the USA have drawn 0-0 and my goodness that was a snooze fest.
England aren’t winning this tournament with a display like that.
England are booed by their fans as they leave the pitch and as a Pom I can’t blame them. That was drab, boring and utterly dismal.
USA deserve the point.
England missed the chance to qualify for the last 16 of the World Cup with a game to spare.
Christian Pulisic hit the bar in the first half for the USA, who must beat Iran in their final Group B match to advance.
England will go through if they avoid defeat by neighbours Wales
7:20AM NEYMAR OUT FOR BRAZIL
Neymar will sit out Brazil’s next World Cup game after he suffered an ankle injury in his team’s opening win against Serbia, the team doctor said on Friday.
The Paris Saint-Germain star suffered the injury in the 2-0 victory against Serbia on Thursday when he collided with Nikola Milenkovic during the second half.
The 30-year-old tried to continue but was substituted with about 10 minutes to go and underwent an examination on Friday.
Rodrigo Lasmar, the doctor for the Brazilian football federation (CBF), said Neymar had suffered “ligament damage” and would miss the match against Switzerland on Monday.
“Today is one of the most difficult moments of my career... and again in a World Cup,” Neymar wrote on Instagram.
“I have an injury yes, it’s annoying, it’s going to hurt but I’m sure I’ll have the chance to come back because I’m going to do my best to help my country, my team-mates and myself.”
6:45AM ‘NO ORGY PLEASE’: TEAM’S WORLD CUP BAN
Spain coach Luis Enrique has made the hilarious claim that he has no issues with his players having sex the night before they play a match – but he draws the line at orgies.
Speaking to fans on live-streaming platform Twitch, Enrique was asked whether he had a view on players enjoying some more ‘personal’ moments the night before a match – or whether he would suggest the abstain from sex completely.
Over the years there have been theories – or, perhaps more accurately, superstitions – about whether athletes having sex before a match could negatively affect their performance, whether it be for focus or energy reasons.
That myth has been largely debunked, and Enrique said it would be “ridiculous” to place such a ban on his players.
“It’s ridiculous (to ban it). It’s something I consider totally normal,” Enrique said.
“If you’re at an orgy the night before a match then obviously that’s not ideal, but when I’m a club coach the players are at home the night before a game and it’s not something that worries me at all.
‘If it’s something they do then it’s because they need to and want to. But I repeat with common sense! Each one with their partner. It’s normal. When I was a player, if I was at home before a game with my wife, well we did what we had to do.”
Spain started the World Cup in utterly rampant form, crushing Costa Rica 7-0 to put themselves in the conversation of tournament favourites.
6:35AM WORST HOSTS IN WORLD CUP HISTORY
World Cup hosts Qatar have been officially knocked out of the competition already.
The Netherlands’ 1-1 draw with Ecuador all but ended the Qatari national team’s slim hopes of making it out of Group A.
Felix Sanchez’s men lost both of their opening matches against Ecuador and Senegal, making their final game against Holland in the group stage nothing but a formality.
Qatar have officially had the worst run out of any other World Cup host nation as they have been eliminated earlier than all of their predecessors and with fewer points.
It only took five days for the Qatari national team to crash out of the tournament.
That poses as a record for a host nation in the World Cup’s 92-year history.South Africa became the first ever host nation to crash out of the group stages in 2010.
But the South African were drawn in a tough group alongside Uruguay, Mexico and France.
They still managed to finish third and were eliminated on goal difference.
That was after drawing 1-1 with Mexico, losing 3-0 to Uruguay and famously beating France 2-1.Qatar also became the first World Cup hosts to lose their tournament opener as they were defeated 2-0 by Ecuador.Of the previous 22 hosts, 16 won their opening games and the other six drew it.
Originally published on The Sun
5:45AM CHAUVINIST FLAG SCANDAL
The Kosovo Sports Minister on Friday protested after photos showed the Serbia team hung a flag in their changing room at the World Cup reclaiming his country.
Hajrulla Ceku tweeted his anger at “disgraceful images from Serbia locker room, displaying hateful, xenophobic and genocidal messages towards Kosova, while exploiting FIFA World Cup platform”.
The photograph was taken in Serbia’s dressing room before they lost 2-0 to Brazil. It showed, hanging from two player lockers, a version of the Serbian flag with a map including Kosovo as part of the country and stamped with the slogan “there will be no surrender”.
“We expect concrete actions from FIFA considering that (Kosovo) is a full FIFA and UEFA member,” added Ceku.
Kosovo joined FIFA and European confederation UEFA in 2016.
The Kosovo Football Federation (FFK) announced that it had filed a complaint with FIFA against “Serbia’s aggressive action”.
“Such a chauvinist act has no place at sporting events and even less inside establishments where the biggest world football event is taking place,” said the FFK in a press release on their website.
“It is unacceptable that this act is passed over in silence and we insistently demand that FIFA strictly apply its rules and punish the Serbian Football Federation for this aggressive act contrary to the values that football transmits”, added the FFK.
5AM HOSTS ARE OUT
Host nation Qatar were eliminated from the World Cup on Friday with one Group A game still to play after Ecuador held the Netherlands to a 1-1 draw.
Qatar had earlier gone down to a second successive defeat in the tournament, losing 3-1 to Senegal meaning they needed Ecuador to beat the Dutch in order to stay in contention.
11PM – 10-MAN WALES CRUMBLE AFTER WILD KEEPER KICK
Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey received the first red card of the Qatar World Cup on Friday when he was sent off for clattering into Iran’s Mehdi Taremi outside the area late in the match.
The stopper was initially given a yellow card but that was upgraded to red in the 86th minute after the intervention of the video assistant referee.
Iran then struck twice in the dying moments of added time to earn a stunning 2-0 win in the Group B clash.
Rouzbeh Cheshmi and Ramin Rezaeian scored to give Iran a famous victory, which moved them into second place in the group behind England, who face the USA later in the day.
10PM – WC COACH GOES FULL ‘BRAVEHEART’ TO INSPIRE STUNNING UPSET
- Joe Barton
Before pulling off arguably the biggest upset in World Cup history, Saudi Arabia coach Herve Renard delivered an explosive, inspirational halftime speech that turned the tournament on its head.
Renard’s tournament-defining spray – which led to a victory that sparked wild celebrations both within Lusail Stadium and across Saudi Arabia, where a public holiday was declared by King Salman – was released by the Saudi national team as part of a behind-the-scenes look at their opening game.
The footage shows an agitated Renard speaking to his players at halftime – at which point they trailed 1-0, following an early Lionel Messi penalty, and were an outrageous 500-1 shot with online bookmakers.
Speaking through a translator, Renard tears strips off his players in an emotional plea to overturn the halftime deficit while accusing his players of sitting back and letting Messi, arguably the greatest player in history, dictate terms.
“What are we doing here?” the experienced French manager starts.
🎥🇸🇦 @SaudiNT ha publicado la charla de Hervé Renard en el descanso del partido ante Argentina. Arabia Saudita perdÃa 1-0 y remontó con goles en el 48’ y el 53’.
— Sphera Sports (@SpheraSports) November 24, 2022
COMO PARA NO OBEDECER A ESTE HOMBRE. pic.twitter.com/rIyAMwUrve
“Last time, Messi has the ball in the middle of the pitch, you stand in front of the defence!
“Take your phone, you can take a picture with him, if you want!”
Throughout the first 45 minutes, Saudi Arabia had been on the back foot and failed to trouble Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
And that wasn’t good enough for Renard, who questioned whether his team truly believed they were capable of staging a comeback.
“You don’t feel something here? You don’t feel that we’re able to come back? You don’t feel it?” he raged.
“They play relaxed. Come on, guys – this is the World Cup. Give everything!”
It did the trick. In an intoxicating five minute period the underdogs scored twice, first through Saleh Al-Shehri before a magnificent curling effort from Salem al-Dawsari gave them a 2-1 lead they would never relinquish.
The victory puts Saudi Arabia in the box seat to qualify from Group C, while Argentina’s path is far more treacherous.
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