Saudi Arabia fell behind early to a penalty converted by Lionel Messi after VAR got involved and were rescued by the offside flag on three occasions before the break.
Less than ten minutes into the second half, the situation was reversed and the Saudis held on for a famous win over the fancied Albiceleste.
Al-Owairan has admitted that the Saudi Crown Prince’s speech, given before Herve Renard’s side made the short trip to Qatar, played an important part in the Green Falcons’ performance.
The 55-year-old praised his fellow countrymen for fighting tooth and nail with Lionel Scaloni’s side, for paying their opponents just the right amount of respect and playing smart.
“The speech of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had a huge effect on the players when he told them before going to Qatar: go and enjoy without no pressure, and that’s why the team played an amazing game against Argentina”, Al-Owairan told Inside Futbol.
“The players were brave and took responsibility, they fought so hard in the pitch, with huge motivation, everyone knows what he has to do in the game, and they respected their abilities and the opponent.
“Respecting Argentina and playing smart was a factor in this historical win, otherwise it would be a different result.”
Saudi Arabia face Poland next on the 26th of November and conclude their group stage campaign against Mexico four days later, looking to make it to the last 16 for the first time since the 1994 World Cup.
