Between criticism and praise… Al-Owais is the Saudi wall that lit up the night of the World Cup

Reactions from fans were mixed after Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais’ superb performance against Uruguay in a 1-1 draw in the first round of Group H at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, in a game in which the Saudi goalkeeper became the center of attention after the final whistle.

Most of the reactions were in the category of absolute praise, with a large section of fans believing that Al Owais had one of his best international matches ever, as he blocked 9 dangerous attempts on goal, including 4 from inside the penalty area, in addition to making crucial saves at critical moments in the game that kept the Saudi Arabian team in the game until the final moments.

Many went on to describe it as the ‘Saudi wall’, stressing that it was the main reason for Al-Akhdar’s victory, a valuable point against one of the strongest South American sides.

Al Owais’ numbers in the game clearly showed the extent of his influence as he was not just a regular ball-handler but faced constant pressure and repeated attacks, especially in the second half which saw intense possession by the Uruguayans and repeated attempts to penetrate the Saudi Arabian defence.

Read also… After a historic night.. Did Valverde do Al Owais an injustice?

Despite this, he kept his focus and was able to stop some difficult balls, including Ugarte’s rocket that hit the post, and then Federico Valverde’s dangerous effort, which he stopped with a quick reaction.

On the other hand, a critical angle was missing from the scene, as some observers saw the Saudi Arabia goal conceded in the 80th minute as not far from the goalkeeper’s responsibility, after Maximiliano Araujo tracked down Al Owais’s return ball in the penalty area and slotted it into the net. They felt that the ball handling on that shot could have been better, especially given the time sensitivity of the goal and its immediate impact on the outcome of the match.

Despite this controversy, most agreed that Al Owais was the undisputed star of the match, not only due to the number of saves but also the timing of the chances that almost gave Uruguay victory. Many also noted that his presence at this level restored confidence in the Saudi national team and proved that the team has a goalkeeper capable of making a difference in the biggest forums.

Between praise describing him as a hero and criticism questioning his goal-scoring, Al Owais emerged from Uruguay night at the center of controversy, but also at the heart of the consensus that he was one of Saudi Arabia’s most important reasons to stay in the game, a World Cup match that will be with the fans for a long time.