Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
A controversial decision on the night of the draw with Uruguay
Italy’s Maurizio Mariani, the referee of the match between the Saudi national team and Uruguay in the first round of the eighth group of the 2026 FIFA World Cup 2026, has caused a lot of controversy due to a dramatic decision in the last moments of the game after the end of the match that ended in a draw (1-1).
The final minutes of the game saw intense offensive pressure from the Uruguayan team in search of the winning goal, although the referee counted 7 minutes of stoppage time, but play resumed around the eighth minute amid continued attempts by the Latin team to penetrate the Saudi Arabian defence.
Controversially, as substitute striker Abdullah Al-Hamdan headed straight for Uruguay’s goal, the referee suddenly blew the final whistle to stop the attack at the last minute, angering the Greens players and their fans.
Read also… Uruguay’s coach attacked a journalist after Saudi Arabia’s draw… What happened?
Reactions erupted on social media platforms, particularly on the X platform, where a large number of fans felt the decision was impactful and controversial given the attack continued and the chance was flawed, while others saw the timing of the whistle as decisive, but it came at an “unlucky” moment.
{“type”:”power-rankings-carousel”,”data”:{}}
Between the anger of the Green Stars and the composure of Uruguay, the final decision turned into the most outstanding moment after the game, adding a new chapter to the refereeing dispute in one of the most exciting first-round matches at the World Cup.
