Maxi Araujo’s late goal salvaged a 1-1 draw for Uruguay against Saudi Arabia as goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais was the hero.
The Saudi goalkeeper made a string of saves to keep his side in front and while the clean sheet was denied him, his player-of-the-match performance succeeded in frustrating the two-time World Cup winners led by former Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa.
Following , Saudi Arabia had looked on course to find themselves top of Group H after the first round of games when Abdulelah Al-Amri poked the ball into Fernando Muslera's net late in the first half after the veteran goalkeeper could only parry Mohamed Kanno's header.
But Uruguay were much improved in the second half, adding greater urgency following the half-time withdrawal of ex-Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez. Manuel Ugarte of Manchester United had a shot tipped against the post by Al-Owais on the hour.
But Araujo finally scored after Al-Owais could only push another Federico Vinas header into his path. Uruguay, who had 27 shots in the game, were well worth their equaliser, and were close to a winner as Miami's heat tired their opponents but will feel they escaped given how late the equaliser came.
5: Al-Owais pushes a Vina snap-shot away from goal
30: Vinas heads at goal but Al-Owais is able to save
38: Al-Amri's shot on the angle is tipped over by Muslera
41: GOAL! Al-Amri takes this chance to stun Uruguay
60: Ugarte's shot is tipped against the post by Al-Owais
80: GOAL! Araujo fires home on the angle to equalise
90+3: Valverde's shot is pushed around the post by Al-Owais
This was not a repeat of Saudi Arabia's famous win over Argentina in Qatar but it is significant, nevertheless. A gutsy point to cherish in Miami. Beat Cape Verde and a place in the knockout stages will be theirs for the first time since the 1994 World Cup.
Uruguay were poor in the first half but injected more energy after the interval, getting Fede Valverde into better areas with Agustin Canobbio and Nicolas de la Cruz among those making an impact. It needed a special goalkeeping display to keep them out.
There will still be questions for Bielsa, over his initial team selection and the result. But the fall-out will be tempered by that late Araujo goal. They, like Saudi Arabia, will feel they can still progress from this group. Just expect line-up changes against Cape Verde.
