Abdulelah Al-Amri scored his first Saudi Arabia goal in a draw with Uruguay, completing a turnaround after club criticism and a national-team recall.
Abdulelah Al-Amri turned a difficult stretch for club and country into a defining international moment, scoring Saudi Arabia’s goal in a valuable draw with Uruguay.
The defender struck in the 41st minute after the ball came back off Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. Al-Amri reacted first and finished accurately, giving Saudi Arabia a first-half lead and delivering the most visible answer yet to months of pressure, criticism and doubt around his place.
The goal carried added weight because Al-Amri had only recently worked his way back into the national-team picture. He had been left out of a Saudi Arabia camp in Esfand 1404 on the Iranian calendar, missing friendlies against Egypt and Serbia, before Greek coach Georgios Donis reconsidered his status.
Donis reviewed the defender’s technical and mental condition and included him in Saudi Arabia’s final World Cup squad in May, corresponding to Ordibehesht and Khordad 1405. After warm-up matches against Ecuador and Senegal, the coach concluded Al-Amri was ready to start.
His return also followed a turbulent club period. After the end of his loan spell at Al Ittihad and his return to Al Nassr, Al-Amri again faced tension with a section of the club’s supporters. That strain dated back to before his summer 1403 loan move, when Al Nassr chose to move him away from the squad temporarily to ease psychological pressure.
Al-Amri rebuilt part of his standing at Al Ittihad, where he contributed during a season that ended with league and King’s Cup success. But his return to Al Nassr placed him back under scrutiny.
Jorge Jesus, Al Nassr’s Portuguese coach, played an important role in that phase. After a contentious match against Al Riyadh, he publicly defended Al-Amri, stressing that an insult to one player was an insult to the whole team. Jesus kept the defender in the side, worked with him on his technical and disciplinary development and gave him the platform to recover form.
Over time, Al-Amri regained confidence and re-established himself at Al Nassr. His stronger defensive displays and ability to join attacks helped shift the reaction around him, turning some of the hostility he had faced into renewed backing.
Against Uruguay, he repaid that trust on both ends of the field. In addition to a steady defensive performance against one of South America’s leading sides, his goal helped Saudi Arabia secure a draw with significance in a difficult group.
Varzesh3 reported that the strike was Al-Amri’s first goal for Saudi Arabia and made him the first Saudi defender to score in the country’s World Cup history — a sharp turn for a player who had entered the tournament cycle fighting simply to win back trust.
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