Maxi Araújo celebrated after his late equaliser for Uruguay in a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia at the World Cup in Miami. The result leaves Group H deadlocked after Cape Verde's stunning draw with Spain earlier in the day.
Empty Seats and Delayed Fans
Despite just seven tickets showing as available on the official website at kick-off, thousands of empty seats and concourses were visible throughout most of the game. The official attendance was given as 62,764 out of a capacity of 64,478, with many fans not arriving until the second half. Fifa sources claimed a highway crash was responsible for the late arrivals.
Gianni Infantino has attempted to portray the World Cup as 104 Super Bowls, but the turnout suggests locals need convincing. Miami, built on celebrity and glamour, is not easily impressed, and sports fans have many options, including Super Bowls and Formula One events.
Fifa's Ticketing Strategy Questioned
The empty seats highlighted potential pitfalls of Fifa's reliance on the secondary ticketing market. With face values of $430 and $600 for category one and two tickets, it is unlikely there were thousands of deliberate no-shows. More plausible is that tickets bought by speculative opportunists were not resold.
First Half Action
Uruguay controlled the first half but fell behind just before the break. Abdulelah al-Amri gave Saudi Arabia the lead in the 41st minute, tapping in after Fernando Muslera parried a header from Hassan al-Tambakti. Earlier, al-Amri had forced an excellent save from Muslera with a powerful header from a corner.
Uruguay had dominated possession from the outset, as expected from a Marcelo Bielsa side. Federico Vinas created an early chance for Ronald Araújo, whose shot was saved by Mohammed al-Owais. A penalty appeal for handball against al-Tambakti was dismissed, and Vinas's diving header went straight at the keeper.
Second Half Changes
Bielsa made two changes at half-time, removing Darwin Núñez, who had looked off the pace. Núñez has played only two matches since February after being deregistered by Al-Hilal. Federico Valverde was moved to a more central role, improving Uruguay's dominance.
Saudi Arabia defended stoically, limiting Uruguay to half-chances from crosses. Vinas and substitute Agustín Canobbio headed wide, while al-Owais made a good save from Manuel Ugarte.
Late Equaliser
The equaliser came in the 80th minute. Mathías Olivera's cross was headed towards goal by Vinas, al-Owais failed to catch, and Maxi Araújo reacted quickest with a side-footed finish at the near post. Al-Owais made amends in injury time with saves from Nicolás de la Cruz and Valverde.
Group H Implications
Spain were the real winners, having dropped two points earlier. They face Saudi Arabia in Atlanta next, while Uruguay return to Miami to face Cape Verde on Sunday, which will test Fifa's sales strategy again.
