Saudi football fans reacted to the kingdom qualifying for the next World Cup with praise and poetry for the young national team.
Saudi Arabia secured their place in the 2018 World Cup to be held in Russia next summer following a dramatic win against Japan on Tuesday.
Saudis took to Twitter to express their happiness at the result with several writing poems in celebration of their team’s victory.
“Congratulations, Father of Salman This is the face of Happiness, you deserve it you heroes,” tweeted Saudi poet Mohammed Al Wber.
Others were more straightforward in their response.
“How delicious the taste of victory is,” tweeted Mohammed Al Arfaj, a Saudi TV presenter.
The celebrations were not limited to Saudi Arabia, with both the UAE and Kuwait projecting the Saudi flag onto the Burj Khalifa and Kuwait Towers respectively.
Saudi Arabia owes its win to substitute player Fahad Al Muwallad who provided the team with its only goal during the match at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium in Jeddah.
Among the more than 60,000 spectators was Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who celebrated the victory in his box seat at the stadium.
The Saudi team finished in second place in its group behind Japan. Like Australia, the kingdom finished with 19 points but goal difference secured its team a place in the tournament.
It will mark Saudi Arabia’s fifth appearance in the World Cup finals after their first qualification in 1994. The last time the kingdom went to the World Cup was in 2006.
After Saudi Arabia’s first World Cup qualifiicaiton in 1994, the team featured in three consecutive finals in 1998, 2002 and 2006 before missing the last two tournaments in South Africa in 2010 and Brazil in 2014.
