\n
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) – Maxi Araujo finally scored the tying goal late Monday, cheering a crowd of mostly Uruguayan fans in South Florida. world cup<\/span> The opening match against Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\nAlthough La Celeste took one point, they were not satisfied with the result.<\/p>\n
“We lost, I have to be honest,” midfielder Federico Valverde said in Spanish after his team ended in a 1-1 draw, making up for a flat first half by controlling the second half.<\/p>\n
“We conceded a goal in the first half,” Valverde added. “We didn’t play like we practiced. It wasn’t what we were aiming for. We rushed things too quickly. We wanted to win the game in the first minute. Sometimes we just need a little more patience and just play our game. We improved a lot in the second half.”<\/p>\n
Abdulela Al Amri scored on a rebound<\/span> 41 minutes, Araujo, Saudi Arabia got the equalizer<\/span> In the 80th minute, he fired a rebound past goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Owais from close range. <\/p>\nLa Celeste boasted overwhelming possession and had 29 shots on goal, more than Saudi Arabia’s seven, but they were on the back foot until the end of the second half.<\/p>\n
It was Araujo’s fourth international goal and his second at Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.<\/p>\n
Al Amri was denied a shot by Uruguay’s Fernando Muslera early in the first half, but a quick tap-in put his team ahead after Muslera converted a header.<\/p>\n
Al Amri took a knee after scoring and bowed his head to the pitch as the Saudi fans cheered. Although they were greatly outnumbered in South Florida, they were loud enough to make up for the difference.<\/p>\n
Four years ago, they witnessed their team deliver one of the most memorable moments of the 2022 World Cup, with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Lionel Messi and eventual champions Argentina in the opening game in Saudi Arabia. <\/p>\n
Monday’s result was less dramatic, but Saudi Arabia was able to shut out two-time World Cup champions Uruguay late on, thanks to a mostly solid performance from Al Owais.<\/p>\n
The Green Falcons were more satisfied with this result than their opponents.<\/p>\n
“Uruguay is a very energetic team,” Saudi Arabia coach Georgios Donis said through an interpreter. “The players have a lot of experience and there’s a lot of depth on the bench. … When we play against an opponent like that, it’s a plus to be able to get one point.”<\/p>\n
Donis He replaced the dismissed Herv\u00e9 Renard.<\/span> Just two months ago. He said he is hopeful after Monday’s performance but is still learning about the team.<\/p>\n“I need to know more about the team,” Donis said. “We need to build a competitive team, and of course we need time to do that. Today’s result gave us an advantage.”<\/p>\n
La Celeste had a lot of chances. Al Owais denied Federico Vinas’ close-range header in the first half, but in the 61st minute he deflected Manuel Ugarte’s shot with his fingertips. He also denied Valverde’s attempt in the opening minutes of stoppage time.<\/p>\n
Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa said through an interpreter: “When the team that is supposed to make the difference in terms of danger and dominating the ball can’t do that, the weaker teams actually try to do something.”<\/p>\n
The result capped off a remarkable day for Group H, consisting of Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, Spain and Cape Verde. <\/p>\n
Cape Verde, making their first appearance in the World Cup, held off heavily favored Spain by one point. scoreless draw<\/span> In Atlanta. <\/p>\n“A draw involving Spain might be the biggest surprise of this World Cup,” Donis said. “Cape Verde were very competitive and very strong. The favorites (of the group) haven’t changed. It’s Spain and Uruguay.”<\/p>\n
It was also a match that symbolized the past, present and future in World Cup history. Uruguay hosted the first World Cup in 1930 and will host matches to mark the tournament’s 100th anniversary in 2030, while Saudi Arabia will host the World Cup in 2034.<\/p>\n
Among the players who took part in the game were FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo, former NFL star Chad Ochocinco and longtime Uruguay international Luis Suarez – Messi’s Inter Miami teammate but not selected for the tournament.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
AP World Cup: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/fifa-world-cup<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) – Maxi Araujo finally scored the tying goal late Monday, cheering a crowd of mostly Uruguayan fans in South Florida. world cup The opening match against Saudi Arabia. Although La Celeste took one point, they were not satisfied with the result. “We lost, I have to be honest,” midfielder Federico Valverde<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36371,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-36370","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-soccer"},"yoast_head":"\n
Saudi Arabia and Uruguay draw 1-1 in World Cup opening match - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/saudi-arabia-and-uruguay-draw-1-1-in-world-cup-opening-match\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Saudi Arabia and Uruguay draw 1-1 in World Cup opening match - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) – Maxi Araujo finally scored the tying goal late Monday, cheering a crowd of mostly Uruguayan fans in South Florida. world cup The opening match against Saudi Arabia. Although La Celeste took one point, they were not satisfied with the result. “We lost, I have to be honest,” midfielder Federico Valverde\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/saudi-arabia-and-uruguay-draw-1-1-in-world-cup-opening-match\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-16T04:19:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin_ok9yktt6\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin_ok9yktt6\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/saudi-arabia-and-uruguay-draw-1-1-in-world-cup-opening-match\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/saudi-arabia-and-uruguay-draw-1-1-in-world-cup-opening-match\/\",\"name\":\"Saudi Arabia and Uruguay draw 1-1 in World Cup opening match - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/saudi-arabia-and-uruguay-draw-1-1-in-world-cup-opening-match\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/saudi-arabia-and-uruguay-draw-1-1-in-world-cup-opening-match\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/urlhttps3A2F2Fassets.apnews.com2Fcc2F392F0de71d8505d8e80619ebe15006cd2F007e9da4fd9c4e8792414a9d92f500e7.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-16T04:19:31+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/saudi-arabia-and-uruguay-draw-1-1-in-world-cup-opening-match\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/saudi-arabia-and-uruguay-draw-1-1-in-world-cup-opening-match\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/saudi-arabia-and-uruguay-draw-1-1-in-world-cup-opening-match\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/urlhttps3A2F2Fassets.apnews.com2Fcc2F392F0de71d8505d8e80619ebe15006cd2F007e9da4fd9c4e8792414a9d92f500e7.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/urlhttps3A2F2Fassets.apnews.com2Fcc2F392F0de71d8505d8e80619ebe15006cd2F007e9da4fd9c4e8792414a9d92f500e7.jpeg\",\"width\":980,\"height\":653},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/saudi-arabia-and-uruguay-draw-1-1-in-world-cup-opening-match\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Saudi Arabia and Uruguay draw 1-1 in World Cup opening match\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/\",\"name\":\"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates\",\"description\":\"EPL VIP is your ultimate source for all things related to the English Premier League. Get the latest EPL news, live match updates, transfer rumors, team analysis, fixtures, and exclusive insights for true football fans.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9\",\"name\":\"admin_ok9yktt6\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin_ok9yktt6\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/author\/admin_ok9yktt6\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Saudi Arabia and Uruguay draw 1-1 in World Cup opening match - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/saudi-arabia-and-uruguay-draw-1-1-in-world-cup-opening-match\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Saudi Arabia and Uruguay draw 1-1 in World Cup opening match - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","og_description":"MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) – Maxi Araujo finally scored the tying goal late Monday, cheering a crowd of mostly Uruguayan fans in South Florida. world cup The opening match against Saudi Arabia. Although La Celeste took one point, they were not satisfied with the result. “We lost, I have to be honest,” midfielder Federico Valverde","og_url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/saudi-arabia-and-uruguay-draw-1-1-in-world-cup-opening-match\/","og_site_name":"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","article_published_time":"2026-06-16T04:19:31+00:00","author":"admin_ok9yktt6","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin_ok9yktt6","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/saudi-arabia-and-uruguay-draw-1-1-in-world-cup-opening-match\/","url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/saudi-arabia-and-uruguay-draw-1-1-in-world-cup-opening-match\/","name":"Saudi Arabia and Uruguay draw 1-1 in World Cup opening match - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/saudi-arabia-and-uruguay-draw-1-1-in-world-cup-opening-match\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/saudi-arabia-and-uruguay-draw-1-1-in-world-cup-opening-match\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/urlhttps3A2F2Fassets.apnews.com2Fcc2F392F0de71d8505d8e80619ebe15006cd2F007e9da4fd9c4e8792414a9d92f500e7.jpeg","datePublished":"2026-06-16T04:19:31+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/saudi-arabia-and-uruguay-draw-1-1-in-world-cup-opening-match\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/saudi-arabia-and-uruguay-draw-1-1-in-world-cup-opening-match\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/saudi-arabia-and-uruguay-draw-1-1-in-world-cup-opening-match\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/urlhttps3A2F2Fassets.apnews.com2Fcc2F392F0de71d8505d8e80619ebe15006cd2F007e9da4fd9c4e8792414a9d92f500e7.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/urlhttps3A2F2Fassets.apnews.com2Fcc2F392F0de71d8505d8e80619ebe15006cd2F007e9da4fd9c4e8792414a9d92f500e7.jpeg","width":980,"height":653},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/saudi-arabia-and-uruguay-draw-1-1-in-world-cup-opening-match\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Saudi Arabia and Uruguay draw 1-1 in World Cup opening match"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/","name":"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","description":"EPL VIP is your ultimate source for all things related to the English Premier League. Get the latest EPL news, live match updates, transfer rumors, team analysis, fixtures, and exclusive insights for true football fans.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9","name":"admin_ok9yktt6","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin_ok9yktt6"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/eplvip.com"],"url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/author\/admin_ok9yktt6\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36370"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36370\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}