Saudi Arabia in touching World Cup tribute to Yasser Alshahrani after he underwent emergency surgery following horror injury against Argentina
- Alshahrani suffered horror injury vs Argentina
- Defender forced to have surgery
- Players held shirt aloft in tribute
WHAT HAPPENED? Saudi's players huddled on the side of the pitch with goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais holding up Alshahrani's shirt aloft in tribute to their injured team-mate. The defender was forced to have surgery after a horror clash with Al-Owais saw him stretchered off against Argentina.
Saudi Arabia showed support for injured teammate Yasser Alshahrani ahead of today's game ❤️🇸🇦 pic.twitter.com/68UcEqNmpC
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 26, 2022
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Alshahrani's injury came in what ended up being a historic 2-1 victory for Saudi Arabia, which resulted in King Salman declaring a national holiday in the country the following day. The defender has since communicated from hospital that he is well and recovering, although will spend a lengthy period on the sidelines.
WHAT NEXT FOR SAUDI ARABIA? After their touching tribute pre-match, Saudi Arabia will take on Poland knowing a win will send them through to the last 16, before they take on Mexico in matchday three.