Al-Ittihad make unwanted Roshn Saudi League history as Dion Lopy sees red

Al-Ittihad became the first team to receive two red cards in this season’s Roshn Saudi League after new midfielder Dion Lopy was sent off in their second match of the campaign.

The Senegalese midfielder was dismissed shortly after half-time during Al-Ittihad’s away match against Al-Qadsiah at Prince Mohammed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam on Friday.

Lopy received a second yellow card in the 47th minute following a strong challenge on Al-Qadsiah’s Portuguese midfielder Otavio. The decision meant he was shown a red card in only his fourth appearance for Al-Ittihad since joining the club during the current summer transfer window.

The 23-year-old moved to Al-Ittihad from Spanish club Almeria and has now become the second player from the Jeddah side to be sent off this season.

Al-Ittihad had already seen Portuguese defender Danilo Pereira dismissed in their opening Roshn Saudi League fixture, a 1-1 draw against Al-Kholood. That result made Pereira the club’s first player to receive a red card in the current campaign.

With Lopy’s dismissal coming in their second league game, Al-Ittihad have now recorded two sendings-off in two matches an average of one red card per game.

Pereira was unavailable for Friday’s meeting with Al-Qadsiah because of the suspension resulting from his dismissal against Al-Kholood. Lopy will in turn miss Al-Ittihad’s next league match, against Al-Hazem in the third round of the competition.

The latest incident came just four appearances into Lopy’s Al-Ittihad career, after the midfielder arrived from Almeria in the summer. His early dismissal has therefore contributed to an unwanted statistical distinction for the club at the beginning of the Roshn Saudi League season.

A social media post showing the incident described the moment as follows: “بطاقة حمراء 🟥الحكم يطرد لاعب الاتحاد لوبي مع بداية الشوط الثاني بالبطاقة الصفراء الثانية ⚖️هل القرار صحيح؟ 🤔#القادسية_الاتحاد|#دوري_روشن_السعودي”

The post questioned whether the referee had made the correct decision after sending off Lopy for a second bookable offence.

Al-Ittihad’s disciplinary problems have now affected consecutive league matches. Pereira’s suspension ruled him out of the trip to Al-Qadsiah, while Lopy’s red card means he will be absent when Al-Hazem visit in the next round. Their record of two dismissals from their opening two fixtures leaves them with an unwanted place in Roshn Saudi League history, despite having played only the second match of their campaign.