Saudi Arabia couldn't quite pull off the upset, but they forced a 1-1 draw with Uruguay in their Group H opener in Miami on Monday. Al‑Amri gave the Green Falcons the lead, and Araujo levelled ten minutes from the final whistle.
Saudi Arabia couldn't quite pull off the upset, but they forced a 1-1 draw with Uruguay in their Group H opener in Miami on Monday. Al‑Amri gave the Green Falcons the lead, and Araujo levelled ten minutes from the final whistle.
Saudi Arabia opened the scoring as Miami heat swirled around them. In the 41st minute a corner fizzed into chaos; Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera couldn't collect it and Abdulelah Al‑Amri hammered the loose ball home. The Green Falcons hung on, but in the 80th minute Maxi Araujo slid in on another rebound, snatching a point for Uruguay.
Uruguay kept pushing after the break, but Al‑Owais was a wall. He made nine saves, a fingertip deflection onto the post from Manuel Ugarte at 60 minutes and two late stops in stoppage time. They owned 67% of possession, outshot Saudi Arabia 28-7 and had ten shots on target.
Valverde grabbed the official Player of the Match award, and online supporters weren’t buying it. The Uruguay captain drove his team forward, but with Al‑Owais pulling off save after save, fans felt the Saudi keeper, or Al‑Amri, deserved the nod.
One supporter wrote "The real player of that match was the Goalkeeper for Saudi Arabia! Big man was standing on his head and made at least 8 strong saves maybe more." HolaFernando then added "Nothing against Valverde but the superior player of the match was Saudi Arabia's goalkeeper. VERY impressive."
Marcelo Bielsa's post-match press conference got testy. When they asked why he was looking down in his official tournament portrait instead of at the lens, the 70-year-old Uruguay coach bristled.
"I don't have to give any explanation, the picture was taken the way it was taken," Bielsa said. "I'm not a model." He pressed on, refusing to back down: "There is nothing wrong about wearing glasses or looking into somebody's eyes or looking down."
Donis called the draw a step forward, especially since he's only just taken the reins. Monday was his first competitive test after three friendlies.
"When we're faced with certain opponents, getting one point is a positive event and this is a booster for our psychology," Donis said, admitting his side faded after the interval. "It appeared to be that in the second half we didn't have the same intensity." He praised those behind him, calling it the work of "an excellent goalkeeper and an excellent defence today."
That point leaves Group H wide open. Earlier the same day, European champions Spain were held to a 0-0 draw by Cape Verde, so all four sides go into the second round of fixtures on a single point.
Saudi Arabia finally grabbed a halftime lead at a World Cup, something they hadn’t done since 1994 when they reached the knockout stage. That draw left every Asian side unbeaten, while South America got off to a flat start. Bielsa, whose team sits 18th in the world, refused to read ahead: "I cannot think of any type of assessment that would allow us to foresee what is coming next." Uruguay's next assignment is Cape Verde, again at Hard Rock Stadium.
