Al-Ittihad deserved a penalty in Al-Ettifaq win, says refereeing expert

Al-Ittihad should have been awarded a penalty during their 4-1 victory over Al-Ettifaq, according to refereeing analyst Mohamed Kamal Risha.

The incident occurred in the seventh minute of Tuesday’s Saudi Pro League match, which was played as part of the competition’s 10th round. Despite Al-Ittihad’s emphatic win, Risha said the referee made an incorrect decision by allowing play to continue after a challenge on Danilo Pereira.

Risha, speaking in his analysis for Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadiyah, said an Al-Ettifaq player made contact with the Portuguese midfielder’s leg inside the penalty area. In his assessment, the incident was serious enough to warrant a spot-kick for Al-Ittihad.

He also said the decision should have been reviewed by the video assistant referee (VAR), which he believed ought to have intervened and advised the referee to reassess the incident.

The decision did not prevent Al-Ittihad from taking control of the match. They went on to score four times and secure a convincing victory, collecting three important points in their campaign.

The result moved Al-Ittihad to 20 points and into fourth place in the Saudi Pro League table. For Al-Ettifaq, the defeat hindered their efforts to improve their position in the standings.

Although the margin of victory left Al-Ittihad celebrating a comfortable success, the challenge involving Danilo Pereira remained a talking point after Risha’s review. His assessment again drew attention to the role of VAR in examining decisions inside the penalty area, including in matches ultimately settled by a significant scoreline.