Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz decreed that Wednesday be a national holiday in celebration of the Kingdom’s victory against Argentina during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, had suggested the holiday for employees and students.
The suggestion, approved by King Salman, includes all public and private sectors and students at all educational levels.
Saudi Arabia scored one of the biggest World Cup upsets ever by beating Lionel Messi’s Argentina 2-1 during their Group C opener on Tuesday.
Goals by Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari in a five-minute span in the second half gave the Saudis the win. Argentina took an early lead with a 10th-minute penalty by Messi.
The Argentina loss rivals other World Cup upsets like Senegal's 1-0 win over titleholder France 1-0 in the 2002 tournament opener and the United States beating England by the same score in 1950.
The unlikely victory was sealed by a somersault by Al-Dawsari, who brought down a high ball just inside the penalty area, turned one defender, jinked past another and drove a powerful shot past goalkeeper Emi Martinez, who got a hand on the ball but couldn’t keep out of the net in the 53rd.
