Group H has been blown completely wide open.
Following Spain’s shock scoreless draw with Cabo Verde earlier in the day, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay fought out a grueling, dramatic 1-1 draw at a sweltering Miami Stadium on Monday night, leaving all four teams exactly level after the opening round.
Green Falcons Strike First
Entering the match as clear favorites, Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay controlled the early possession but struggled to impose their usual high-pressing rhythm in the heavy Florida heat. Instead, it was a highly disciplined Saudi Arabia side—reminiscent of their fearless 2022 heroics against Argentina—that broke the deadlock.
In the 40th minute, Saudi Arabia earned a corner that triggered chaos in the Uruguayan six-yard box. Defender Abdulelah Al-Amri reacted fastest, stabbing a right-footed shot home from close range to send the Green Falcons fans into raptures and leave La Celeste trailing at the break.
Araújo Rescues Bielsa
Uruguay emerged for the second half with furious intent, turning the match into one-way traffic as they besieged the Saudi penalty area. However, they ran into an absolute wall in Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais, who produced a string of world-class interventions to deny Federico Valverde and Nicolas de la Cruz.
Uruguay’s relentless pressure finally told in the 80th minute. Mathías Olivera delivered a dangerous cross from the left flank toward Federico Viñas. Viñas’ downward header was initially parried by Al-Owais, but the rebound fell awkwardly to Maximiliano Araújo, who showed superb composure to cushion a sidefooted finish into the near post.
Frantic Finish
The final ten minutes descended into an absolute classic as Uruguay pushed for a winner, only to be repeatedly denied by Al-Owais, who finished the night with eight spectacular saves. Saudi Arabia nearly snatched all three points deep into stoppage time when a rare counter-attack saw a thumping header fly just wide of Fernando Muslera’s post.
Ultimately, both sides had to settle for a point—a result that keeps Group H perfectly balanced ahead of the second matchday.
