Crown Prince bin Salman ordered to use a private plane to bring defender Al-Shahrani to Germany for treatment after a terrible collision during the victory over Argentina at the 2022 World Cup.
Left-back Yasser Al-Shahrani of the Saudi national team suffered a serious injury during the home team’s historic 2-1 win over champion candidate Argentina on November 22.
In the fifth minute of injury time of the second half, Al-Shahrani bumped his face into goalkeeper Al-Owais’ knee in a defensive attempt. He free-falled and landed on his head, unconscious for a few minutes, bleeding from his nose and mouth, while the Saudi goalkeeper sat on the ground, clutching his head worriedly.
Left-back Yasser Al-Shahrani lies on the field after the collision in injury time. Image: AFP.
Al-Shahrani then regained consciousness, gave him two thumbs up to indicate he was fine, and left the field on a stretcher. Saudi media reported that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who watched the match on TV at the palace, ordered a private jet to take Al-Shahrani to Germany for emergency treatment.
At the hospital, after taking a scan, the doctors concluded that he had a broken jaw, left facial bone and needed surgery due to internal bleeding.
“I want to tell you that I am fine and send this victory to the Saudi fans. Please pray for me,” defender Al-Shahrani said at the hospital.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (left) poses for a photo with relatives at the mansion after the Saudi team’s victory over Argentina. Image: Instagram/Mohammed bin Salman
The historic victory helped Saudi Arabia receive a rain of praise. At the suggestion of the Crown Prince, King Salman declared the Saudi people off on November 23 to celebrate the surprise victory of the home team.
Saudi officials also see the victory as a reward for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s reform program, which relies on sport to try to improve the kingdom’s image on the world stage.
Duc Trung (Follow Gulf Today, Alarabiya)
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