Late Araujo equaliser denies Saudi Arabia victory

RIYADH: Egyptian fans most certainly felt a sense of déjà vu while watching Saudi Arabia take on Uruguay. Like Egypt, the Green Falcons took the lead in the first half. And like Egypt, they conceded after the break, unable to hold on for victory. Yet, also like the Pharaohs, Saudi Arabia will feel they deserved more, even if a draw against one of the tournament’s strongest sides would have been gladly accepted before kickoff.

Spain dropping points against Cape Verde might have caught the attention of both Marcelo Bielsa and Georgios Donis. In what was one of the quietest starts to a 2026 World Cup match so far, both sides were extremely wary of taking risks, with multiple passing sequences ending back at the defence.

The Hard Rock Stadium was awash with sky blue. The Uruguayan supporters did their best to unsettle the Green Falcons, but to little effect during the opening half. Saudi Arabia looked calm, composed and well organised, ensuring Uruguay found little space to exploit behind the defence.

There were flashes of quality, after all, the individual talent on display was evident. But a draw felt preferable to defeat, even if a victory would have provided either side with a comfortable cushion in the race for the Round of 32.

Al-Owais brought the Saudi supporters to their feet in the 30th minute with an excellent save. A diving header from Federico Vinas was pushed away before Uruguay blazed the rebound over the crossbar.

The goalkeeper was called into action again four minutes later, this time reacting well to push away a dangerous cross. After the hydration break, Uruguay began to grow into the contest.

Yet momentum shifted towards Saudi Arabia almost immediately. In the 38th minute, Abdulelah Al-Amri found himself in a perfect position to give his side the lead from a corner, but Muslera produced a fine save to keep his curled effort out.

Al-Amri, however, was not to be denied. Three minutes later, Al-Juwayr swung another corner into the penalty area, where Hassan Al-Tambakti forced Muslera into yet another excellent save. This time, however, the rebound fell kindly for Al-Amri, who pounced to open Saudi Arabia’s account at the World Cup.

The second half began with a dangerous cross and yet another diving header for Uruguay, which Al-Owais did well to parry away. It was a stark contrast to the opening period. Uruguay were quicker, more aggressive and far more direct in their approach. Bielsa responded by introducing Juan Sanabria and Agustin Canobbio in place of Matias Vina and Darwin Nunez.

Canobbio quickly became a nuisance for the Saudi defence, repeatedly looking to draw fouls in dangerous areas. At one point, he even lost a boot as Manuel Ugarte received the ball on the edge of the area and unleashed a powerful effort towards goal. Replays showed it was Al-Owais’ fingertips that diverted the shot away from danger.

As Al-Owais received treatment for a muscle issue, Nasser Al-Dawsari replaced Musab Al-Juwayr in a move designed to add greater control in midfield with less than half an hour remaining. Saudi Arabia also dropped deeper, with Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat retreating to form a back five.

The Uruguayan pressure eventually proved too much to withstand. Saudi Arabia began to concede more space, and even a fifth save from Al-Owais was not enough to keep Uruguay at bay. The goalkeeper parried an effort into the path of Maximiliano Araujo, who reacted quickest to convert the rebound and level the score in the 80th minute.

What followed was another wave of Uruguayan pressure, though Saudi Arabia still carried a threat on the counterattack. In the 87th minute, Al-Harbi surged into the final third and laid the ball off, only for Uruguay to clear their lines. Moments later, Saud Abdulhamid won possession, drove across the face of goal and fired an effort over Muslera’s crossbar.

Al-Owais added another excellent save to his growing collection in the first minute of stoppage time, before Georgios Donis made a triple substitution, introducing Abdullah Al-Hamdan, Ali Lajami and Ala Al-Hajji in place of Abdulhamid, Al-Harbi and Feras Al-Brikan. The Saudi goalkeeper then preserved the point with a fingertip save from Federico Valverde’s powerful low strike.

Al-Owais finished the night with nine saves, a man-of-the-match performance and perhaps a display that keeps Saudi Arabia’s hopes of progression very much alive.

Saudi Arabia will face Spain next, on June 21 at 7 p.m. KSA time, while Uruguay take on World Cup debutants Cape Verde on June 22 at 1 a.m. KSA time. After the opening round of fixtures, all four teams in Group H remain level on points.