The Saudi goalkeeper shines again at the start of the 2026 World Cup and disrupts Uruguay

In Group H of the 2026 World Cup, no team has featured at a higher level yet. After the surprise draw between Spain and Cabo Verde, the match between Saudi Arabia and Uruguay also saw a scoreless draw. The Saudi goalkeeper, Mohammed Al Owais, received widespread praise after this match, as he recorded nine saves, which is the highest number of saves by a goalkeeper so far in this World Cup.

Al Owais, who is 34 years old, shone at the start of the Qatar World Cup three years ago when he led Saudi Arabia to a surprise victory over Argentina, and he started this edition of the tournament in a distinguished way as well. The Ola goalkeeper played a prominent role in stopping Uruguay's attacks, as he blocked several dangerous balls, including a shot from Maximiliano Araujo in the seventh minute.

Despite the slow start to the match, it became more exciting after the break. Uruguayan Federico Viñas missed a great opportunity with his head, and on the other hand, Fernando Muslera blocked a shot from Abdel-Ilah Al-Omari. But after a while, Al-Omari was able to score with his second attempt, as Muslera responded to Mohamed Kanu's header, making it a 1-0 draw in favor of Saudi Arabia.

Uruguay were looking for an equalizer before the end of the first half, but were unable to achieve it, as Al Owais blocked a Viñas header. After that, coach Marcelo Bielsa made changes to the Uruguayan ranks, bringing in Agustín Canobbio and Juan Sanabria, which increased the pace of play.

The Uruguayan pressure continued, as Canobbio and Vinas shot, and Manuel Ugarte succeeded in hitting the crossbar with a shot from far away. After continuous attempts, Uruguay succeeded in scoring the equalizer in the 80th minute through Araujo. Despite repeated attempts later, Al Owais was present thanks to his wonderful saves, which made Saudi Arabia maintain the tie and score a valuable point.

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