Ollie Watkins says Al Hilal goal against Al-Ittihad was wrongly ruled out

Ollie Watkins said he was frustrated after his goal for Al Hilal was disallowed in their 3-2 victory over Al-Ittihad in the Saudi league’s eighth round.

The result ended Al-Ittihad’s unbeaten start to the season and moved Al Hilal back to the top of the table with 21 points. Al-Qadsiah and Al-Nassr are two points behind, while Al-Ittihad remain fourth on 17 points.

Watkins said the match was played at a high standard, particularly after the players returned from the international break.

“The level was high in the match, especially after coming back from the international break,” he told television reporters.

“We trained for many days, but nothing compares with playing a match at full intensity, especially in an atmosphere like this.”

Watkins was unhappy with the decision to disallow his goal but chose not to criticise the referee directly.

“I do not want to comment on the referee’s decisions, but honestly, I feel that a valid goal was disallowed,” he said.

He also explained that his delivery for Al Hilal’s opening goal was not intended specifically for Gabriel Martinelli, who arrived to meet it.

“I sent a cross for the first goal and I did not know Gabriel Martinelli had arrived there. I would be lying if I said I did,” Watkins added.

“I simply played the ball into an area that I thought was suitable.”

The match was contested between the sides at the top end of the standings, and Watkins said collecting the points was more important than the celebrations that followed the win.

“The match was for top spot and you could see how important it was to everyone,” he said. “There are a lot of celebrations, but the most important thing is getting the points from the match.”

Al-Ittihad’s defeat means every team in the Saudi league has now lost at least once this season. They had been the only side to maintain an unbeaten record.