MIAMI — Mohammed Al Owais produced a heroic performance and came within minutes of ending Saudi Arabia’s 32-year wait for a World Cup clean sheet before Uruguay salvaged a 1-1 draw in the Green Falcons’ Group H opener on Tuesday.
Al Owais made a tournament-high nine saves and was one of Saudi Arabia’s standout performers as the team looked set for a famous victory over the two-time world champions.
The AlUla goalkeeper repeatedly frustrated Uruguay’s attack and finished the match with a 7.6 rating from statistics platform Sofascore, level with goalscorer Abdulelah Al Amri as the highest-rated Saudi player on the night.
Saudi Arabia took the lead in the 41st minute when Al Amri converted from close range after Fernando Muslera parried a powerful header from Mohammed Kanno following a corner kick.
The goal itself was historic, making Al Amri the first Arab player to score against Uruguay in World Cup history.
With the Green Falcons leading, Al Owais produced a series of outstanding saves to protect the advantage and move to the top of the tournament’s save charts, ahead of Cape Verde’s Vozinha and Australia’s Patrick Beach.
However, the goalkeeper’s resistance was finally broken in the 80th minute when Maximiliano Araújo reacted quickest to a rebound after Al Owais had initially saved a header from Federico Viñas.
The goal denied Saudi Arabia what would have been only its second clean sheet in World Cup history and its first since the famous 1-0 victory over Belgium at the 1994 tournament in the United States.
Since that memorable win, the Green Falcons had failed to keep a clean sheet in every World Cup match, including during their historic 2-1 victory over Argentina at Qatar 2022.
Despite the disappointment of conceding late, Saudi Arabia emerged with a valuable point against one of the favorites in Group H and delivered one of its most disciplined defensive displays in recent World Cup history.
The Green Falcons, appearing in their seventh World Cup, have now played 20 matches at the tournament, recording four wins, three draws and 13 defeats.
Saudi Arabia will face Spain in a crucial second group match on Sunday, while Uruguay takes on Cape Verde.
Source: Saudi Gazette