The thrill of victory and the agony defeat is what all sport lovers in Saudi Arabia and Australia felt and experienced. During the past week, Australia and the Australian football talents remained the most discussed issue among all Saudis.
Many Saudis would not have read so much about Australia during the past 10 years than they did in the last week. Many kids must be now aware of the fact that there are 10 million more kangaroos in Australia than there are Australians. Anyway, it is all about sports.
Saudi football team Al-Hilal is the most popular in the Kingdom. Founded in 1957, it is the oldest football club of Saudi Arabia. On the other hand, Australia’s Western Sydney Wanderers is probably the youngest football team in the world, as it was founded only two years ago. Both teams played a match in Sydney as part of two matches for the Asian Football Championship and the Australian side won the first match (1-0). So, last Saturday night the second match was played at King Fahd Stadium.
The match meant a lot not for the Saudi team Al-Hilal but also for all sport lovers in Saudi Arabia because football is the most popular sport in the Kingdom. The players played the match under tremendous pressure, which had an adverse impact on their overall performance. They needed to score at least one goal to bring the championship to a new start and the Australian team played using their unique technique and their well-built bodies to be able to stop the Saudi players from controlling the match. The Australian team was not under any kind of pressure. The team is new and just being in the Asian final is a major accomplishment. The match was very important to the Saudi side because they are used to be the champion.
The stadium was packed with more than 70,000 spectators with more than 10,000 waiting outside the stadium. The spectators did not only come from Riyadh but from all parts of the Kingdom. The match was beautiful and I enjoyed watching it even though the Saudi team lost the match and the Asian Championship (1-0). Many Saudis who know Australia wondered if Australia was becoming the new Brazil in their love for football. The Australian team achieved its first trophy in football. The result of the match left the Saudi players and fans teary-eyed. But at the end of the day, it is only a game and what is more important is that sporting events bring people from different parts of the globe together. It is true that the players and spectators are under pressure and some actions and reactions might be not appropriate but all feelings subside after the match. Last Saturday night was different in Riyadh and it could have been more different if the Saudi team had won. I would like to congratulate Western Sydney Wanderers. However, I would like to express my opinion about one aspect of the match i.e. the Japanese referee was not up to the game.
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