These two nations faced off on a sultry evening in Miami, knowing that victory would be enough to go top of Group H and lay down an early marker after Spain’s unexpected goalless draw with Cape Verde earlier in the day.
La Celeste were the favourites despite their recent inauspicious form, and created a chance inside the opening five minutes when Mohammed Al Owais parried away Maximiliano Araujo’s strike from the edge of the box.
Salem Al Dawsari then tested the water after cutting inside from the left, but saw his right-footed shot go well wide of the target.
Al Owais was called into action again to push away Federico Vinas’ diving header, but the Saudis sensed a defensive vulnerability in this Uruguay team and took a stunning 41st-minute lead against the two-time WC winners.
Mohamed Kanno’s initial header from Musab Al Juwayr’s corner was saved by Fernando Muslera, but Abdulelah Al Amri showed brilliant tenacity to prod home the rebound.
Significantly, that ended the Green Falcons’ run of 16 WC matches without scoring the opening goal since beating Belgium 1-0 in 1994.
Marcelo Bielsa made two changes at the break, resulting in a much brighter start to the second half for Uruguay. Al Owais pushed Vinas’ header to safety, before the Real Oviedo frontman headed wide from Araújo’s corner.
Saudi Arabia’s slender lead was looking increasingly precarious as Manuel Ugarte drilled a long-range shot which cannoned off the post in another big let-off for Georgios Donis’ side.
Federico Valverde was also having more of an impact after Bielsa’s tactical tweak, and Al-Owais was on hand once again to clear away the Real Madrid midfielder’s free-kick.
However, La Celeste deservedly restored parity in the 80th minute when Araujo reacted quickest to the loose ball after Al Owais made yet another save to keep out Vinas’ header.
That direct approach was causing the Saudis all manner of problems, and Brian Rodriguez was not far away from scoring a second when his fierce long-range strike flew just past the post.
Al Owais was having an incredible night between the sticks and made arguably his best save of the night late on, with a fine one-handed stop to push away Valverde’s effort in stoppage time.
Ultimately, the points were shared to leave all four teams in Group H with one point after the opening round of matches. Both teams are back in action on Sunday, as Uruguay return to Miami to face Cape Verde, while Saudi Arabia head north to Atlanta where they will face 2010 champions Spain.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Mathias Olivera (Uruguay)
