Injustice and shocking decisions: Al-Ittihad defender opens fire on the referee of the Al-Khaleej match

The Portuguese defender explodes

Al-Ittihad defender Danilo Pereira has opened fire on the referee after his side's 1-1 draw with Al-Khaleej on the opening weekend of the Roshn Saudi Pro League, insisting a string of decisions directly shaped the result.

The Portugal international spoke to the media at full time, taking aim at the foul that earned him a red card and the penalty he felt his team were denied. In his eyes, neither call was fair.

Pereira: Al-Ittihad should have been awarded a penalty

On one incident inside the box, the defender said: "Of course, the referee's decision was wrong, we should have got a penalty after I was pushed from behind." He was adamant Al-Ittihad deserved the chance to score from the spot.

Then came the foul that got him sent off. Pereira argued the circumstances hardly warranted such punishment: "The ball was high and my eyes were on it, the challenge was not deliberate nor was great force used, and there was not even full contact."

"I don't know what the referee saw in that incident, I say it clearly: the referee's decision was very bad," he added. The dismissal reduced Al-Ittihad to ten men and left them scrambling to protect their lead.

The dismissal made Al-Ittihad's task harder

Down a man for the closing stages, the defender admitted the task became far tougher. "After I received the red card, it became difficult for us to get back into the flow of the match with ten players," he said.

Even so, Pereira felt his team created enough to win it. They simply failed to take their moments. "Despite that, I think we had chances to score, but we couldn't make the most of them as required," he said.

He signed off by urging his side to move on quickly. "This is how football is, now we have to focus on the next match," Pereira said, drawing a line under the Al-Khaleej clash and turning his attention to what comes next.