In video: did the referee deny Saudi Arabia two penalties against Qatar?

Controversial moments

The semi-final between Saudi Arabia and Qatar in the Arabian Gulf Cup "Gulf 27" turned on two contentious refereeing calls in extra time.

Saudi Arabia met Qatar on Saturday at Al-Inma Stadium in Jeddah.

In the 104th minute, the ball dropped to Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Al-Qahtani on the edge of Qatar's penalty area. He hammered it goalwards, only for it to strike the Qatari defence.

Furious, Al-Qahtani, his team-mates and Greek coach Georgios Donis demanded a penalty, convinced the ball had struck the Qatari defender's hand.

The referee waved play on from the outset and stuck with that call after a VAR review.

Refereeing expert Mohammed Kamal Risha backed the official, telling Saudi newspaper "Al-Riyadiah" that the decision was correct.

"There is no penalty for Saudi Arabia in the 104th minute, as the ball struck the midriff of the Qatari defender, and there was no handball," Risha said. "It was a correct decision by the referee to allow play to continue, with the backing of the VAR room."

Seven minutes later, the drama returned. Abdullah Al-Hamdan drilled a powerful effort that caught the hand of a Qatar defender inside the box, yet once again the referee refused to point to the spot.