Araujo late goal rescues Uruguay against Saudis
Uruguay held 67 percent possession, the most at any World Cup since 1966, but only a late Maxi Araujo goal earned a point against a stubborn Saudi Arabia in Miami.
- Saudi Arabia and Uruguay drew 1-1 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami in their opening group match.
- Abdulelah al-Amri put the Saudis ahead in the 41st minute, and Maxi Araujo equalised late in the second half.
- Uruguay controlled 67 percent of possession, the most at any World Cup since 1966.
- Araujo became the first Uruguayan to score on his World Cup debut since Forlan in 2002.
The Uruguay bench in the 80th minute looked like a room where somebody forgot to turn off the heating. Marcelo Bielsa stood with his hands on his hips, watching his players knock the ball around while the Saudis defended as if the whole tournament depended on it. Then the ball reached Maxi Araujo. One touch, one strike, net. Only then did the Uruguay bench breathe out.
The point that eventually arrived feels like relief rather than disappointment, but anyone who watched these 90 minutes knows Uruguay was on the edge of losing a match in which they held the ball for nearly two-thirds of the time. Saudi Arabia did not come to Miami to make up the numbers. They came with a plan, and that plan very nearly worked.
How did the favourites run out of ideas?
Bielsa’s Uruguay did exactly what you would expect of them. Possession, patience, the ball shifting from flank to flank, hunting for a gap in the Saudi block. The figure of 67 percent possession is impressive on its own and stands as a record, the most any side has held at a World Cup since 1966. But football is not measured in possession, it is measured in goals, and Uruguay created almost nothing from all of it in the first half.
The Saudis held their line with discipline, cut out every cross and waited for their moment. It came in the 41st minute. After a set piece and a scramble in the box, Abdulelah al-Amri reacted quickest and put his side ahead. Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, packed with fans expecting a Uruguayan show, suddenly fell quiet.
The second half was much the same in essence, just edgier in execution. Uruguay pushed, crossed, tried, and increasingly looked like a team unsure how to unlock an opponent who had decided not to concede. Bielsa made changes, called for fresh legs, moved the play through the middle. For a long time it brought nothing.
What does this point mean for Uruguay?
Araujo’s goal is more than an equaliser. It is the first goal by a Uruguayan on his World Cup debut since Diego Forlan in 2002, a detail that will mean more in Montevideo than the table currently suggests. The young forward came on as an option and walked off as the man who saved a point.
For Bielsa, this is a typical opening match at a major tournament. Dominance on paper, frustration on the pitch, and a reminder that possession without an end product counts for nothing. Uruguay are group favourites and are expected to go through, but this draw shows the margin is not as wide as people assumed before the first whistle.
Saudi Arabia, for their part, leave Hard Rock Stadium with a point that feels like a win. A side that has shaken the big nations at previous World Cups again showed it knows how to play against a stronger rival. The remaining group fixtures now look far more open than anyone expected.
Will Uruguay under Bielsa find a way to turn possession into goals before it is too late, or will this style cost them again in the matches still to come?
