Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Marcelo Bielsa was left ruing Uruguay’s performance against Saudi Arabia, insisting his side “did not achieve the version of which we are capable” during the 1-1 draw.
La Celeste had to settle for a point in their Group H opener – where Maxi Araujo struck 10 minutes from time to cancel out Abdulelah Al Amri’s first-half opener – despite dominating for large periods in Miami.
Uruguay had 67% of possession, their highest tally on record (since 1966) in a World Cup match, while their 22 shots after the break were the joint-most by any team in a single half since 1974 (East Germany’s 24 in the first half against Chile).
The two-time world champions also registered an xG of 1.7 to Saudi Arabia’s 0.67, while they also heavily outscored their opponents for touches in the opposing box (41 to 10) and final-third entries (65 to 29).
And Bielsa could not hide his disappointment after his side failed to convert their superiority into three points.
“We faced an opponent that we had to overcome,” he said. “We conceded minutes in the first half that do not indicate that we did things well. We had to win this game.
“In the first half, the team was off. No dynamics, no pressure, no mistakes, no depth. When a team that is supposed to make a difference does not succeed, the weaker team ends up daring. It’s one thing to attack and another thing to score.
“The game changed in the second half, but I don’t know if it changed because of the changes or for other reasons.
Your @MichelobUltra Superior Player of the Match is Federico Valverde.
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 16, 2026
“The fact that we have not won, without detracting from the qualities of our rivals, is more linked to the fact that we did not achieve the version of which we are capable.
“There is an easy way to say yes, we deserved to win, and in the second half, we missed 10 goals. But the game is everything. Although in the second half, the image of the team changed.”
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia opened the scoring in a World Cup match for the first time since a 1-0 victory over Belgium in 1994, ending a run of 16 successive games at the finals without doing so.
The tournament in the United States 32 years ago represents the only time in six previous appearances that the Green Falcons have progressed beyond the first round.
“It was a good start [against Uruguay], and I believe we deserved to win,” said forward Salem Al Dawsari.
“Step by step, we can qualify for the next round. We came here to win and go as far as possible, not just to take part.
“We hope to correct our mistakes in the next match, so we can secure a victory and move closer to qualification.
“This is not my first World Cup, and we showed the character of the Saudi team. Unfortunately, we were not able to get the result we wanted.”
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