Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Alsahlawi, foreground, jumps for the ball with Russia’s Alexander Samedov during the Group A match between Russia and Saudi Arabia that opened the 2018 soccer World Cup on June 14. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
The Saudi Arabian World Cup team landed safely in Rostov-on-Don Monday night after photos posted by passengers on social media appeared to show a fire on the wing of the aircraft.
A statement from the Saudi Football Federation called the fire “a technical failure in one of the airplane engines” and later “merely an accident.” The team’s Twitter account published photos of players disembarking the plane and carrying their luggage.