'Battle of Lusail' brings tears of joy to young Argentina fan

Friday’s 'Battle of Lusail' brought cheers to Argentina fans across the world, including a 13-year-old from the Indian state of Kerala, for whom it also a moment of 'redemption'.
After Argentina's shock defeat to Saudi Arabia in the group stage of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Mohamed Nibras from Thrikaripur in northern Kerala was mocked and a video went viral showing him crying after his favourite team lost.
But all that is in the past. For, Nibras, who travelled to Qatar to witness Argentina's victory over the Netherlands at Lusail Stadium last Friday, has lots to cheer about - the tears of pain turning into tears of joy.
“I was upset when my team suffered the shock loss. But now I am glad that I could witness Argentina's victory with thousands of people at Lusail Stadium on Friday,” Nibras told Gulf Times.
A diehard fan of Lionel Messi, Nibras cheered for his team at the stadium and watched the full match. He was happy to take some photographs while realising his dream of watching his favourite Argentina stars in action. “Messi rose to the expectations of fans and our team achieved what it deserved,” he said, adding that it felt like his dream was coming true while watching the match and that he is now a star.
UAE-based Smart Travel managing director Afi Ahmed arranged Nibras's trip to Doha and the tickets. The young fan travelled from Kannur to Dubai last week. From Dubai, he flew to Doha on Friday and left the country for Dubai after watching the match. “Nibras has proven to be a strong boy, who resisted the mocking while his team lost. I wanted to motivate him and his ability to stay strong,” Afi told Gulf Times.
Nibras wanted to come to Qatar even though he had to attend his examinations. Luckily, his parents allowed him to travel and the travel agency contacted the family.
“My parents let me go, saying this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I will appear for the exams later accordingly,” he said. "Exams will come again. And those who made fun of me are treating me like a star now."
In the video, Nibras had predicted that the Latin American team will fight back after the loss to Saudi in the group stage. And the team did so emphatically, bouncing back to beat Mexico, Poland, Australia and the Netherlands. Nibras is confident that the team will lift the World Cup in Qatar.
The boy also hopes to see Messi add to his goal tally at this World Cup. The Argentina star, who has scored four goals until now, will get that chance in the semi-final against Croatia.