Vozinha who? Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Al-Owais dethrones Cabo Verde hero

The 2026 World Cup has a new hero, and this time it is Saudi Arabia’s 34-year-old goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais. 

Just when Cabo Verde’s Vozinha looked set to own the tournament’s goalkeeping conversation, Saudi Arabia’s shot-stopper crashed the party with a superb performance against Uruguay.

Al-Owais was outstanding in the Green Falcons’ 1-1 draw with the South American heavyweights, making a tournament-high nine saves and repeatedly denying Uruguay from close range and distance. 

His best moment came when he reacted sharply to tip Manuel Ugarte’s thunderous strike onto the post, a save that summed up the level of his performance.

Saudi Arabia had taken the lead through Abdulelah Al-Amri before halftime, and for long stretches it looked like they might pull off another famous World Cup upset. 

Uruguay, however, kept coming after the break, forcing Saudi Arabia deeper and deeper into their own half until Maxi Araujo finally found the equaliser in the 80th minute.

Even so, the biggest talking point was Al-Owais. He stood firm under wave after wave of pressure, dealt with the physical and mental strain of a relentless Uruguay attack, and walked away with the Player of the Match award. 

In a tournament already full of shock goalkeeping performances, he has now forced his way into the spotlight.

Al-Owais’s nine saves were the most by any goalkeeper at the 2026 World Cup so far, and the numbers only sharpen the scale of what he produced. 

It was a display built on timing, positioning and fearless reactions, the kind of performance that can drag a result over the line almost single-handedly.

The World Cup had already given us another viral goalkeeper story in Vozinha. But Al-Owais has now made the race even more interesting, especially after turning in a performance that kept Saudi Arabia alive when Uruguay were piling on the pressure.

The draw also gives Saudi Arabia a huge boost in Group H. After their upset-minded start, they now sit on one point and remain firmly in the mix, especially with the group already looking wide open following Cape Verde’s stunning result against Spain earlier in the day.

For Saudi Arabia, the point could prove vital later in the group following Al-Owais’s career-defining night that puts him right at the centre of one of the World Cup’s most unlikely early storylines. 

Vozinha may still be the viral name many people remember, but his Saudi Arabian colleague Al-Owais has made sure nobody will forget him either.