Despite the four goals: refereeing expert drops a surprise about the Al-Ittihad v Al-Ettifaq match

Was Al-Ahly wronged?

Four goals against Al-Ettifaq still couldn't keep the refereeing controversy at bay. A refereeing expert revealed that "the Dean" were on the wrong end of a key decision during Tuesday evening's clash, which came in the tenth round of the Saudi Roshn Pro League and ended 4-1 to Al-Ittihad.

The win handed Al-Ittihad three valuable points, yet Mohammed Kamal Risha, refereeing analyst for the Saudi newspaper "Al-Riyadiah", picked out a controversial incident in the opening minutes, insisting Al-Ittihad should have been awarded a penalty the referee waved away.

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According to Risha, the seventh minute produced a foul in Al-Ittihad's favour. An Al-Ettifaq player caught Portugal's Danilo Pereira on the leg, and the referee's call not to point to the spot was wrong.

The situation demanded VAR intervention, the expert explained, with a review of the incident needed to help the referee reach the correct decision.

That observation came despite Al-Ittihad stamping their authority on Al-Ettifaq and running out comfortable 4-1 winners, settling the encounter and claiming the three points even with the controversy hanging over one of the early flashpoints.

Once again, Risha's assessment put the spotlight on the role of video technology in reviewing big calls, particularly inside the penalty area, even in matches decided by a wide margin.

Al-Ittihad moved up to 20 points and fourth place in the Saudi Roshn Pro League, buoyed by their comfortable win. For Al-Ettifaq, the defeat left their hopes of climbing the table stalled.

Al-Ittihad's supporters celebrated their four-goal haul, but the Danilo Pereira incident stayed at the heart of the debate after the refereeing expert's verdict. In his eyes, the referee got it wrong by not awarding the Dean a penalty in the seventh minute.