Al-Ittihad boss Jens Wissing highlights Danilo Pereira dismissal after Al-Kholood draw

Jens Wissing said Danilo Pereira’s red card made Al-Ittihad’s task more difficult as they began their Roshn Saudi League campaign with a 1-1 draw against Al-Kholood.

The Portuguese defender was sent off in the 58th minute after the referee reviewed the incident on the video assistant referee system and judged that Pereira had kicked an Al-Kholood player while the ball was not in play.

Al-Ittihad had wanted to start the season with victory at home but were held by their visitors on Saturday at Alinma Stadium in Jeddah.

Speaking at his post-match news conference, Wissing said: “We wanted to win in our first match at home, and the game was close.”

He added: “We had our moments, but unfortunately we did not take advantage of them to settle the match. After the red card, the task became more difficult. We are still at the beginning of the journey, and we want to take the positives and correct the negatives.”

The dismissal came shortly after the second half began and left Al-Ittihad playing with 10 men for the remainder of the match. Wissing pointed to his limited time working with the squad, while insisting that the team’s substitutions had been made with the circumstances of the match in mind.

“I have had five weeks with the players, and I know their abilities,” he said. “We had a red card, and all the substitutions were considered. The aim was to increase the energy, and every substitution was made because of something that happened in the match.”

The draw means Al-Ittihad were unable to open their league campaign with three points, despite having home advantage. Al-Kholood secured a share of the points in the opening round of the competition.

Wissing said the club would now turn its attention to the next fixture, with Al-Ittihad facing Al-Najma in the round of 32 of the King’s Cup on Tuesday.

“Our focus is now on the next match in order to win,” he said. “We have three days before the game against Al-Najma. We want to recover well and prepare properly for the match.”

The meeting with Al-Najma will be Al-Ittihad’s next competitive fixture after their opening-day stalemate in the Roshn Saudi League.