Al-Owais’s nine saves earn Saudi Arabia a draw against a wasteful Uruguay
Mohammed Al-Owais was beaten only once despite a Uruguay onslaught at the Hard Rock Stadium, and Maxi Araujo’s late strike was all Marcelo Bielsa’s side had to show for 28 shots.
Jun 16, 2026
Uruguay had 28 shots, two-thirds of the ball and a goalkeeping legend in their own net, and they still needed until the 80th minute to avoid an embarrassing defeat. Saudi Arabia, pinned in their own half for long spells at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Monday, led until ten minutes from time before Maxi Araújo rescued a 1-1 draw for Marcelo Bielsa’s side in their World Cup opener.
The story of the night was Mohammed Al-Owais. The Saudi goalkeeper made nine saves, several of them excellent, and for 79 minutes he looked as though he might single-handedly steal three points against one of the tournament’s dark horses.
Al-Owais keeps Uruguay out
Bielsa’s team set the tone early, controlling possession and pushing Saudi Arabia deep, but the chances kept finding Al-Owais. Manuel Ugarte rattled the post during one second-half spell when Uruguay threw everything forward. They finished with 28 attempts to Saudi Arabia’s seven and around 67 per cent of possession, the kind of dominance that usually ends in a comfortable win rather than a scramble for a point.
That it did not is down to the goalkeeper and a defence that kept throwing bodies in the way. For long stretches it was backs-to-the-wall stuff, and Saudi Arabia were good at it.
Two goals, two rebounds
Saudi Arabia went ahead in the 41st minute, and the goal owed something to the other goalkeeper. Fernando Muslera, winning his 17th World Cup cap to draw level as Uruguay’s most-used player at the finals, could only push the ball out, and Abdulelah Al-Amri reacted quickest to bundle it in. It was a lead few in the stadium had expected.
Uruguay’s equaliser, when it finally arrived, came the same way. Al-Owais got a hand to a close-range effort but could not hold it, and Araújo was first to the loose ball to force it over the line in the 80th minute. The winger became the first Uruguayan to score on his World Cup debut since Diego Forlan did it against Senegal in 2002.
A point that flatters no one
Nicolás de la Cruz almost won it in stoppage time, but the draw was probably fair on the balance of the night. Uruguay will feel they should have buried a game they bossed; Saudi Arabia will wonder how they did not hold on after leading for so long.
It leaves Group H wide open. Every team in the section drew on the opening day, so a single result over the next round of fixtures could decide who controls the group. Bielsa, never one to ease off, will want a sharper edge in front of goal before Uruguay meet their next opponents.