Uruguay frustrated by dogged Saudi Arabia in World Cup draw

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Uruguay dominated but had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia in the sweltering heat of Miami on Monday to leave an intriguing Group H wide open.

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The stalemate came hours after one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history when European champions Spain were held 0-0 by debutants Cape Verde in the same group.

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After the first round of games in the pool, all four teams have one point.

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Defender Abdulelah al-Amri gave the Saudis a surprise lead near the end of the first half, only for Uruguay’s second-half pressure to pay off with 10 minutes left through Maxi Araujo.

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Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay racked up 22 shots in the second period, but the Saudi defence and goalkeeper Mohammed al-Owais doggedly held firm.

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“We should have won this match,” said the colourful Argentine Bielsa, whose side play Cape Verde next.

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“We weren’t able to show the best version of ourselves,” he added, admitting that his side only got going in the second half.

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Uruguay, World Cup winners in 1930 and 1950, saw their arrival in the United States from Mexico delayed by a snag with the paperwork for their plane.

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In evening temperatures of more than 30C and energy-sapping humidity, both teams struggled to create much in front of goal early on.

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Just after the half-hour mark, the Saudi stopper Owais was called into action for a second time to parry a diving header from close range by Federico Vinas.

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The Saudis, who stunned eventual champions Argentina 2-1 to start their campaign at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, looked to hit their opponents on the break.

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They had their first real opportunity shortly before half-time when Amri forced Fernando Muslera to palm away his fizzing shot.

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Four minutes before the break, the defender did score, reacting fastest to poke home from close range after Muslera spilled a header from a corner.

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– Uruguay finally come to life –

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After a toothless first period, Bielsa had seen enough, dragging off defender Matias Vina and anonymous former Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez.

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Winger Agustin Canobbio and left-sided Juan Manuel Sanabria were introduced.

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The double substitution sparked Uruguay — who surprisingly did not play a single World Cup warm-up game — into lift.

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Saudi coach Georgios Donis, brought in just two months before the tournament, saw his team retreat farther and farther back.

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On the hour, Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte pinged the ball against the foot of the Saudi post from well outside the box.

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The pressure finally told late on when Owais made a mess of a routine stop and Araujo gobbled up the rebound.

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There looked to be only one winner after that, but Saudi Arabia just about held on for a vital point.

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AFP

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