Football enthusiasts in Kaduna have expressed surprise and shock over Saudi Arabia’s victory against Argentina on Tuesday at the ongoing FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Little-rated Saudi team won their opening game when they stunned rCup favorites Argentina by 2-1.
Kaduna fans, after the game, however, congratulated the Saudi team, while expressing shock over their victory.
Abdul Musa, a Football Viewing Centre operator, said “one great lesson to learn here is the fact that Saudi Arabia has started developing their football program for some years back now.
“I can recall that they have a league running where the clubs sign, invite and induce good ageing players to come and play.
“All in the quest for the upcoming local players to learn and develop. Rome was not built in a day,” he said.
He also said that the Saudi’s victory was unbelievable and absolutely beyond the arithmetic of pundits.
“Football is truly a game, anything can happen. Saudi Arabia has gotten not only the result but huge confidence in the competition. I wish them more success ahead,” Musa said.
Also, Rayyan Ibrahim, a football fan and local footballer at Unguwar Muazu Senior Team, said people always believed football game was not for Arab Nations, stressing that Saudi’s victory had proved many wrong.
“When the coaching crew is good then the right players will be selected and the path to victory is set, that was the exact situation that led to Saudi’s victory, ”he said.
Another football enthusiast, Emmanuel Andrew, popularly known as Emma Coach, said the fact that Saudi Arabia beat Argentina 2-1 showed that their league has improved tremendously.
“There is nothing impossible in the game of football; Saudi Arabia is not a walk over, they will shock the world.”
“In football, you don’t underestimate any team, that is what happened to Argentina; they underrated Saudi and they got shocked by their astonishing performance, congratulations to them, they should keep it up,” Andrew said.
Another football fan, David Kuna, said It sounded somehow that Saudi Arabia defeated the mighty Argentina.
“Saudi trained very hard, despite the football god (Lionel Messi) was in the field, they came out victorious, Argentina has always been many nations albatross in the world cup,” he said.
He said that Argentina had let the favourite tag (Champions) got into their heads.
“They thought every team will just quack its boot in fear of their mighty powers. They expected the Saudis to park the bus and try to avoid embarrassing defeat.
“Now they are left with a mighty fight to qualify from the group stages. That is the price you pay for arrogance,” Kuna said.
He noted that all the Saudi players were from their local league, and the fact that none of them played outside their country was really amazing.
He called on Nigerian footballers playing fantastically in overseas to be patriotic by availing themselves in times of national needs and imbibe discipline and hard work for the nation to succeed in subsequent World Cups.
Buhari Shehu, however, said it was not Argentina’s first shock World Cup defeat.
He recalled that in 1990 as the defending champions, they were humbled by the Indomitable lions of Cameroon 1-0 with the great Diego Maradona in action.
“A solitary goal from Francois Oman Biyik was enough to beat the mighty Argentina;
this is the first winning of Saudi Arabia in their history of coming to world cup.
“This is not ordinary victory, it is remarkable to have won Argentina.
congratulations to Saudi Arabia,” Shehu said.
