Maximiliano Araujo struck a crucial late equaliser as Uruguay battled back to secure a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia in their opening FIFA World Cup Group H match in Miami on Tuesday.
Araujo found the net in the 80th minute to rescue a point for Marcelo Bielsa’s side, who dominated large periods of the contest but were frustrated by a resilient Saudi defence and an inspired goalkeeping display from Mohamed Al-Owais.
The result leaves Group H finely poised after the opening round of matches, with Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Spain and tournament debutants Cape Verde all level on one point.
Uruguay controlled possession from the outset and nearly made an early breakthrough in the fifth minute when Araujo tested Al-Owais after being picked out by Matias Vina. However, despite enjoying the majority of the ball, the South Americans struggled to convert their dominance into clear-cut chances during the first half.
In the 38th minute, Fernando Muslera pushed an attempt from Abdulelah Al-Amri, but three minutes later, he could not prevent a close-range strike by Amri from finding the back of the net. Saudi Arabia led at the time of the half-time.
During the second half, Uruguay started getting more aggressive, with Vinas producing a couple of chances and Real Madrid star Federico Valverde also running into their defences. Manuel Ugarte and Valverde also got their chances, but Al Owais’ goalkeeping was really good.
In the 80th minute, came the equaliser from Uruguay as another header from Vinas was kept away from the net by Al Owais, but the ball fell back to Araujo, who fired it back into the net, giving Uruguay the fruits of their relentless attack and improvement in the second half.
The scoreline continued undisturbed towards the end. Uruguay enjoyed a ball possession of over 66 per cent, with 27 shots as compared to Saudi Arabia’s 10, and 10 shots on target as compared to just three from Saudi.
(With agency inputs)