The countdown to the 2026 World Cup is on! Each day ahead of the tournament’s return to North America, Yahoo Sports will highlight an insight or moment that showcases just how grand the world’s biggest sporting spectacle has become — even beyond the expanded field of this year’s global event.
Saeed Al-Owairan scored 34 goals for the Saudi Arabia national team, but his most memorable and rewarding one came during the 1994 World Cup in the United States.
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Drawn into a tough group with the Netherlands, Belgium and Morocco, the Saudis needed a win in their final match to advance to the knockout stage. That do-or-die game came against Belgium at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. and saw Al-Owairan score the only goal five minutes into the match following an individual effort over 65 yards.
“It was the best goal I ever scored in my life,” Al-Owairan said years later. “I scored it for every Saudi person in the world, for every Arab.”
The win helped Saudi Arabia advance on a tiebreaker in their World Cup debut. Their time in the tournament would come to an end in the Round of 16 following a defeat to Sweden.
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The goal earned Al-Owairan the nickname ‘Maradona of the Arabs’ and the recognition of his country. His celebrity status led to him being gifted a Rolls-Royce and the goal finished sixth in the FIFA “World Cup Goal of the Century” vote. Later that year, Owairan was named Asian Footballer of the Year.
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