Uruguay came back to draw 1-1 with Saudi Arabia at the 2026 World Cup, a result that left Group H level after the opening round. Agustin Canobbio was part of a match that swung on fine margins, with Uruguay needing a late response after falling behind.
That mattered because the first goal had already come from pressure at both ends, and the equalizer had to arrive quickly enough to keep Uruguay alive in a group where every point suddenly counted. Maxi Araujo supplied that answer from close range after a rebound, turning a match that looked like a Saudi Arabia win into a shared result.
Fernando Muslera had already done enough to keep Uruguay within reach. He parried Hassan Al Tambakti’s header, but the ball stayed in the danger area and Abdulelah Al Amri finished the move to put Saudi Arabia ahead. On the other side, Mohammed Al-Owais was just as important, pushing Valverde’s long-range effort around the post and denying Uruguay the kind of strike that can change a tournament game in one moment.
The match never settled into comfort for either side. Saud Abdulhamid fired over after driving forward on a late Saudi Arabia attack, while Al-Shamat was taken off for Boushal as the game moved into its closing phase. Uruguay also adjusted after Araujo scored, with Rodriguez sent on for him, and Vinas later made way for Aguirre.
By the end, the draw had done more than split the points. With Cape Verde’s draw with Spain already part of the picture, all four teams in Group H were left on one point, and that is the kind of table that keeps the next round under pressure before it has even begun. The bigger question now is not whether Uruguay can compete, but whether it can turn chances like Araujo’s into the win that Group H no longer lets anyone waste.
