Florida. Maxi Araújo finally gave the mostly Uruguay-supporting crowd in South Florida something to cheer about with his late equalizer in Monday’s World Cup opener against Saudi Arabia.

La Celeste salvaged a point, but the Uruguayans were far from satisfied with the result.

“We gave it away. We have to be honest,” midfielder Federico Valverde said in Spanish after his side rallied for a 1-1 draw following a sluggish first half before taking control after the break.

“We gave away the first half,” Valverde added. “We didn’t play the way we had trained. It wasn’t what we were aiming for. We rushed things too much. We wanted to win the game in the very first minute. Sometimes you need a bit more patience and just play our game. We improved a lot in the second half.”

Abdulelah Al-Amri scored in the 41st minute for Saudi Arabia, while Araújo equalized in the 80th, firing a rebound past goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais from close range.

Uruguay dominated possession and finished with 29 shots to Saudi Arabia’s seven, but trailed until late in the second half.

It was Araújo’s fourth international goal and his second at Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.

Al-Amri, whose earlier effort had been denied by Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, put Saudi Arabia ahead with a quick tap-in after Muslera parried a header into his path.

After scoring, Al-Amri fell to his knees and bowed his head to the turf as Saudi Arabia supporters celebrated loudly despite being heavily outnumbered in South Florida.

Four years ago, Saudi fans witnessed one of the most memorable upsets of the 2022 World Cup when the Green Falcons stunned Lionel Messi’s Argentina 2-1 in their opening match.

Monday’s result was far less dramatic, but Saudi Arabia — backed by a mostly solid performance from Al-Owais — held off two-time World Cup champion Uruguay until the closing stages.

The Saudis were more satisfied with the outcome than their opponents.

“Uruguay is a team that is very energetic,” Saudi Arabia coach Georgios Donis said through an interpreter. “The players are well experienced, and there is depth on the bench. When you’re faced with such an opponent, getting one point is a positive.”

Donis replaced the fired Hervé Renard only two months ago and said he is still learning about his squad, though Monday’s performance left him encouraged.

“I need to get to know my team better,” Donis said. “I need to create a team that is competitive, and it only makes sense that we need time to do this. Today’s outcome gives us an advantage.”

Uruguay created plenty of opportunities. Al-Owais denied a point-blank header from Federico Viñas in the first half and later tipped away an effort from Manuel Ugarte in the 61st minute. He also stopped Valverde deep into stoppage time.

“When a team that is supposed to make a difference cannot do it, in terms of being dangerous or dominating the ball,” Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa said through an interpreter, “then the weaker team actually dares to do something.”

The draw capped a surprising opening day in Group H, which includes Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, Spain and Cape Verde.

Cape Verde, making its World Cup debut, held heavily favored Spain to a scoreless draw in Atlanta.

“The draw involving Spain may be the biggest surprise in this World Cup,” Donis said. “Cape Verde was very competitive, very strong. It’s not like the favorites in the group changed. It’s Spain and Uruguay.”

The match also highlighted the World Cup’s past, present and future. Uruguay hosted the inaugural tournament in 1930 and will stage a centennial commemorative match in 2030, while Saudi Arabia is set to host the World Cup in 2034.

Among those attending the match were FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo, former NFL player Chad Ochocinco and longtime Uruguay striker Luis Suárez — Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami teammate who was not selected for this tournament.

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