Déjà Vu Denied: Maxi Araújo’s Late Strike Rescues Uruguay as Saudi Arabia Miss Another Famous World Cup Upset

It appeared as if the ghosts of the 2022 Qatar World Cup were transported in the flesh across to North America in a match that spanned an intense duration of 79 minutes at the Miami Stadium. The Saudi team that became famous by beating Argentina, the eventual winners, in their first match was again narrowly on the verge of pulling off yet another shocking upset at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

However, this time it was the Uruguayan team that had a hero in Maximiliano Araújo, who netted an 80th minute goal to save a one-all draw.

Despite Uruguay having a majority of possession and getting the better of things early on in the game, it was Saudi Arabia that got off to a quick start by scoring the opening goal in the match. This came in the 41st minute when a scary moment for Uruguay saw Fernando Muslera saving an attempted header from Hassan Al-Tambakti before Abdulleh Al-Amri tapped home the rebound, giving the Green Falcons an impressive 1-0 advantage as the halftime whistle blew.

Amid the celebrations of the Saudi Arabia players kneeling down on the pitch, the few number of their fans wearing green shirts in Florida started dreaming of yet another upset victory.

The events that unfolded during the latter part proved to be a clinic in defense, thanks to a spectacular performance by Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais. Following wave after wave of attacks from the Uruguayan side led by coach Marcelo Bielsa, Mohammed Al-Owais became a veritable fortress.

With players like Federico Valverde, Darwin Núñez, and Federico Viñas leading the attack for Uruguay, the Saudi Arabian goalkeeper pulled off a whopping 9 saves during the entire game—making him the goalkeeper with the most number of saves in this year’s World Cup till now. Mohammed Al-Owais not only saved his compatriot's attempt from close range but also pushed away a thundering shot from Manuel Ugarte on the crossbar.

As it seemed that Saudi Arabia had succeeded in parking the bus, the dogged persistence of Uruguay finally got rewarded. Only 10 minutes of regulation time were left when yet another header by Viñas was too much for Al-Owais to deal with. This set-up for Maxi Araújo to score the leveling goal with an emphatic shot at close range.

Though Uruguay pushed hard for an extra goal in the stoppage time, the thoroughly tired defense of Saudi Arabia stood firm to earn an invaluable point.

Sportscape thinks that although Uruguay avoided a horrific beginning, Saudi Arabia has proven to be the World Cup spoilers once again.