By Rohith Nair
MIAMI, June 15 (Reuters) - Two experienced goalkeepers were thrust into the spotlight as Uruguay and Saudi Arabia played out a 1-1 draw in their World Cup Group H opener on Monday, with sloppy play from both shot-stoppers ultimately deciding an intriguing contest.
Uruguay's Fernando Muslera, who has 135 international caps, gifted Saudi Arabia the opener when he parried a shot straight into the danger zone, allowing Abdulelah Alamri to pounce and poke the ball past the 39-year-old.
At
the other end, Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Alowais had been the hero of his side's defensive masterclass, making six of his nine saves in the second half alone as Uruguay threw everything at the Saudi goal.
But the 34-year-old's uncomfortable parry from a shot that bounced awkwardly off the turf fell perfectly for Maxi Araujo, who finished clinically to level the scores.
"In the first match, it's normal to have some mistakes from both sides. Even Uruguay today only really showed up in the second half," Alowais said.
"So it's natural since it's the first game. We're getting used to the atmosphere and the overall situation on the pitch."
TACTICAL BATTLE
The match had been billed as a tactical battle between Saudi Arabia's Greek coach Georgios Donis - who could count his international games in charge on one hand - and Uruguay's Marcelo Bielsa, one of the preeminent managers of his generation with more than 150 international games under his belt.
Bielsa had made no secret of his intentions the day before, highlighting his penchant for a high press and winning the ball back quickly further up the pitch.
His tactics were evident from kickoff as Uruguay dominated possession and pegged the Saudis back into their own half, with the forward and midfield lines pushing up the pitch in unison.
Saudi Arabia played the waiting game, however, their attacking moves fell apart under pressure and without enough numbers to penetrate Uruguay's tightly packed lines.
But one promising attack was all it took to sow panic in the Uruguay box and suddenly Saudi Arabia had the upper hand towards the end of the first half.
Two set-pieces followed and after Alamri had seen one chance saved, the second time he made no mistake - ironically benefiting from a costly error from Uruguay's most experienced player.
URUGUAY CAMP IN SAUDI HALF
Uruguay came out with renewed enthusiasm after the restart, with Muslera cutting a lone figure in his half as 21 men crowded into the Saudi half as the South Americans faced a wall of green in their quest for an equaliser.
Uruguay fans groaned in unison every time Alowais parried, punched or deflected their shots, but there were also times when he looked uncomfortable - and it was one such save that proved his downfall.
The Saudis were distraught when the equaliser came while Uruguay were energised, especially when seven additional minutes went up on the board. But Saudi Arabia managed to cling on until the very last second when Uruguay had a corner, greeting the referee's final whistle with relief.
But both sides were left pondering what could have been, with Uruguay finishing the match with 29 shots on goal and one point to show for it while Saudi Arabia's dreams of another famous upset over South American opposition - following their 2022 win over Argentina - evaporated in the Miami heat.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Miami, additional reporting by Mohamed Yossry;Editing by Christian Radnedge)
