Saudi Arabia fans decided to mock Lionel Messi and Argentina for losing their first match of the World Cup using Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic ‘siu’ celebration.
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Saudi Arabia, FIFA’s 51st-ranked team and who have suffered 5-0 and 8-0 World Cup defeats down the years, roared back to claim an astonishing 2-1 victory that will go down as one of the greatest shocks in any sport ever.
Saudi Arabia fans do Cristiano Ronaldo’s SIU after beating Lionel Messi’s Argentina. Wicked!!pic.twitter.com/umBzhCkAze
— UtdFaithfuls (@UtdFaithfuls) November 22, 2022
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Saudi fans outside the Lusail stadium were revelling in an impromptu rendition of the celebration after their team’s shock win over one of the favorites to take the tournament.
What is SIU
Siu! Is Ronaldo’s signature goal celebration. It has him jumping high and doing a mid-air piroutte even as he shouts “si!” when he lands. (Spelled sometimes as ‘siu’) – it’s ‘Yes’ in Spanish. Once, at the 2014 Ballon d’Or ceremony, after winning the trophy ahead of Lio Messi, he screamed “siiii!”. On stage.
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Greatest upset
Saudi Arabia’s comeback joins the list of other major World Cup upsets: Cameroon’s 1-0 win over an Argentina team led by Diego Maradona in the opening game of the 1990 World Cup, Senegal’s 1-0 victory over titleholder France 1-0 in the 2002 tournament opener or the United States beating England by the same score in 1950.
Goals by Saleh Alshehri and Salem Aldawsari in a five-minute span early in the second half gave the Saudis a landmark result in the first World Cup staged in the Middle East. The Saudis’ previous biggest win was 1-0 over Belgium at the 1994 World Cup.
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The 35-year-old Messi, playing in his fifth — and likely his final — World Cup for Argentina, scratched the side of his head and shook hands with a Saudi coaching staff member after the final whistle.
