Saudi Arabia continued their impressive record against South American teams at the World Cup after earning a 1-1 draw against Uruguay in their opening Group H match.
The Green Falcons shocked the football world at the 2022 World Cup when they defeated Argentina, who later went on to win the tournament. This time, Saudi Arabia were close to another famous victory before Uruguay fought back late in the game.
Saudi Arabia took the lead four minutes before half-time through Abdulelah Al Amri. The defender reacted quickest after Hassan Al Tambakti’s powerful header from a corner was pushed away by Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.
The goal gave Saudi Arabia a deserved advantage and raised hopes of another memorable World Cup upset.
Uruguay struggled to create clear chances in the first half, and coach Marcelo Bielsa responded by making two substitutions at the break, including replacing former Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez.
The changes improved Uruguay’s performance as they increased the pressure on the Saudi defence. Goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais produced several important saves, including a fine stop to push Manuel Ugarte’s low effort onto the post.
Uruguay finally found an equaliser with 10 minutes remaining. Maxi Araujo was in the right place to score after Al Owais had saved Federico Vinas’ header.
Al Owais continued to shine and finished the match with nine saves. One of his best moments came in stoppage time when he tipped a powerful strike from Federico Valverde around the post to secure a valuable point for his team.
Uruguay ended the game with 28 shots but could not find a winner thanks to Saudi Arabia’s determined defending and excellent goalkeeping.
Following Cape Verde’s surprise draw against Spain, Group H remains wide open. Saudi Arabia will now hope to build on this result as they chase a place in the knockout stage for the first time since the 1994 World Cup in the United States.
