Yassine Bounou saves Al-Hilal after Kalidou Koulibaly handball confusion

Al-Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bounou rescued his side after an unusual handball incident involving team-mate Kalidou Koulibaly led to a controversial penalty for Al-Khaleej in the Roshn Saudi League.

The incident occurred in the 64th minute of the fourth-round match at Prince Mohammed bin Fahd Stadium, with Al-Hilal already in complete control of the contest and leading 5-1 at half-time.

Al-Hilal had dominated from the opening whistle, but confusion inside their own penalty area suddenly gave Al-Khaleej an unexpected opportunity to score.

Bounou appeared to pass the ball to Koulibaly from a goal-kick so the Senegalese defender could begin the next phase of play. However, Koulibaly picked up the ball with his hands, seemingly believing the goal-kick had not yet been taken and that he was still entitled to reposition it.

The referee viewed the ball as being in play once Bounou had passed it to his team-mate. He therefore judged Koulibaly to have committed a handball offence inside the penalty area and awarded Al-Khaleej a spot-kick.

The decision immediately provoked strong protests from the Al-Hilal players, who argued that the restart had not been properly completed. The video assistant referee reviewed the incident and supported the on-field decision, meaning the penalty stood.

Moussa Barrow took responsibility for Al-Khaleej, with the home side presented with a chance to reduce the deficit further. But Bounou prevented the opportunity from becoming a goal with an impressive save.

The Morocco international used his movement before the kick to unsettle Barrow and then reacted effectively to keep the effort out. His intervention protected Al-Hilal’s goal and repaired the damage caused by the misunderstanding between himself and Koulibaly.

The incident quickly became one of the main talking points of the match, not only because of the referee’s interpretation but also because of the unusual sequence that led to the penalty. Koulibaly’s decision to handle the ball came immediately after Bounou’s pass, while the players appeared to have different understandings of whether the goal-kick was already active.

Despite the controversy, the referee’s decision remained unchanged after the VAR review, and Bounou’s save ensured that Al-Khaleej failed to take advantage of the situation.

The episode was also circulated for discussion on the Kooora forums, where viewers were invited to debate whether the penalty decision was correct.

Barrow was denied a goal by Bounou, who once again proved decisive for Al-Hilal during a moment of uncertainty. The save allowed the visitors to retain their commanding position after their five-goal first-half display.