Al-Ittihad survive Al-Qadsiah on night of four disallowed goals

Al-Ittihad claimed their first Roshn Saudi League win of the season after surviving a dramatic contest against Al-Qadsiah, who had four goals ruled out in Tijjani Reijnders’ first appearance for the club.

The visitors won 1-0 at Prince Mohammed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam on Friday, despite playing the entire second half with 10 men. George Ilenikhena scored the decisive goal in first-half injury time, striking powerfully with his left foot from outside the penalty area.

Al-Qadsiah appeared to have found the net four times during the match, but none of their efforts stood. Julian Quinones was responsible for three of the disallowed goals, with the officials ruling them out either for offside or because of an infringement in the build-up.

The hosts were not the only side to have a goal cancelled out. Al-Ittihad forward Youssef En-Nesyri also had a first-half effort disallowed after being caught offside.

Al-Ittihad’s task became significantly more difficult shortly after the restart. Senegalese midfielder Dion Lopy was sent off in the 47th minute after receiving a second yellow card for a strong challenge on Al-Qadsiah midfielder Otavio.

Despite being reduced to 10 players, Al-Ittihad defended their narrow advantage through a demanding second half. Serbian goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic made several important saves to deny Al-Qadsiah, particularly as the home side increased the pressure following Lopy’s dismissal.

Reijnders, who joined Al-Ittihad from Manchester City, entered the game as a substitute approximately 15 minutes into the second half. However, the Netherlands midfielder could not prevent his new team from being placed under sustained pressure and was unable to mark his debut with a victory.

Instead, Ilenikhena’s long-range finish proved enough to settle a match in which Al-Qadsiah repeatedly threatened but could not turn their chances into valid goals.

The result gives Al-Ittihad four points from their opening two league matches. They began the campaign with a 1-1 draw against Al-Kholood and now sit fourth in the Roshn Saudi League table.

Al-Qadsiah, meanwhile, suffered their first defeat of the season. They had opened their campaign with a win over Al-Shabab, but Friday’s result leaves them with three points and in eighth place.

The match also marked the first appearance of Reijnders since his move from Manchester City, although his debut ended with Al-Qadsiah unable to recover from Ilenikhena’s strike and Al-Ittihad holding on despite their numerical disadvantage.