Argentine fan dies in Cumilla while watching Argentina-Saudi match

An argentine fan died after feeling chest pain at Burichong upazila in Cumilla while watching the FIFA World Cup match between Argentina and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday evening.

The deceased, Kawsar Javed alias Kakon, 50, son of late Abdul Khaleque of upazila's Shikarpur village, fell to the ground in chest pain after Argentina conceded the second goal.

Abu Naser, former Shikarpur union parishad (UP) member, told Prothom Alo that "Kawsar sat with us to watch the Argentina-Saudi Arabia match around 4:30 pm. When Argentina conceded the second goal in the 53rd minute, he fell to my lap in severe chest pain."

He was then taken to Kabila Eastern Hospital College immediately for treatment where the physicians declared him dead, Naser added.    

At least three people of the village told Prothom Alo that Kawsar was a die-hard fan of Argentina. Lionel Messi and Di Maria were his favourite players. He couldn't tolerate the goals conceded by his beloved team. Before that he felt saddened as three goals of Argentina were disallowed for offside.

Burichong police station officer in-charge Maruf Hossain said he heard the incident.      

Unheralded Saudi Arabia notched one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history on Tuesday with a 2-1 win over Lionel Messi's Argentina thanks to a scintillating second half comeback.

On his fifth and final quest for the only major trophy to elude him, the 35-year-old Messi scored a 10th minute penalty in a dominant first half display where he and Lautaro Martinez also had three goals disallowed for offside.

But Saudi Arabia, the second-lowest ranked team in the tournament after Ghana, threw caution to the wind at the start of the second half, charging at Argentina's defence in front of a frenzied 88,012 crowd.