News Focus
- Maxi Araújo scores an 80th-minute equaliser to earn Uruguay a point against Saudi Arabia
- Thousands of seats remain empty at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium despite official attendance figures of 62,764
- Group H remains tightly contested following Spain’s earlier draw with Cape Verde
- Marcelo Bielsa’s side recover from flight delays and a half-time deficit to claim a draw
Maximiliano Araújo netted a crucial late goal to salvage a 1-1 draw for Uruguay against Saudi Arabia in a FIFA World Cup Group H clash played in Miami. The result keeps the group wide open following an earlier surprise result between Spain and Cape Verde.
The match at the Hard Rock Stadium was marred by poor attendance. Although official records showed only seven tickets remained unsold before kick-off, large sections of the 64,478-capacity venue sat empty throughout the contest. Many supporters arrived only after the interval, with organisers blaming highway traffic for the delays. The sparse crowd highlighted potential problems with FIFA’s dependence on secondary ticket markets, as speculative buyers may have failed to resell their purchases.
Uruguay encountered difficulties even before reaching the pitch. Their flight from Cancún to Fort Lauderdale suffered delays, disrupting preparations for Marcelo Bielsa’s squad. However, these travel woes did not initially affect their performance on the field.
Bielsa’s team controlled possession from the opening whistle and fashioned an early opportunity in the fifth minute. Federico Viñas delivered a cross from the left flank that found Ronald Araújo, but goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais denied the defender’s effort. Uruguay continued to press, with Viñas directing a low diving header straight at the Saudi keeper midway through the half.
Against the run of play, Saudi Arabia struck first. Following a corner in the 39th minute, Musab Al-Juwayr crossed for Hassan Al-Tambakti, whose header forced a parry from Fernando Muslera. Abdulelah Al-Amri reacted quickest to tap home the rebound and give the Green Falcons the lead.
At half-time, Bielsa introduced tactical alterations. He substituted Darwin Núñez, who appeared short of match fitness having played only twice since February. The former Liverpool forward was deregistered by Saudi club Al-Hilal earlier this year following the arrival of Karim Benzema. Bielsa also repositioned Federico Valverde to a central role, which improved Uruguay’s attacking threat after the break.
The South Americans dominated the second period but struggled to break down a resolute Saudi defence. Viñas and substitute Agustín Canobbio both headed off target, while Al-Owais pushed a Manuel Ugarte drive onto the post.
The pressure finally told ten minutes from time. Mathías Olivera crossed from the left, Viñas headed towards goal, and when Al-Owais failed to gather cleanly, Maxi Araújo pounced to side-foot home the equaliser from close range.
Al-Owais redeemed himself in stoppage time, producing fine stops to deny Nicolás De La Cruz and Valverde. The draw leaves Spain as the chief beneficiaries, with La Roja now able to seize control of the group when they face Saudi Arabia next. Uruguay must wait until Sunday to meet Cape Verde at the same venue, where FIFA will hope for a better showing in the stands.