Bento red card leaves Al-Nassr short-handed against Al-Ettifaq

Al-Nassr were forced to play with 10 men early in their Saudi Pro League meeting with Al-Ettifaq after goalkeeper Bento was shown a straight red card for stopping Moussa Dembele outside the penalty area.

The incident came in the 12th minute of Tuesday’s third-round match at Al-Ettifaq’s home ground, where Al-Nassr were facing an early test against their hosts.

Dembele received a pass on the edge of the penalty area and moved towards goal. Bento came off his line in an attempt to prevent the Al-Ettifaq player from progressing, but brought him down outside the box.

Although an Al-Nassr defender was close to Dembele and was attempting to catch up with him, referee Mohammed Al-Huwaish decided that Bento’s challenge warranted a direct red card.

The dismissal immediately changed the balance of the match and left Al-Nassr needing to continue with a numerical disadvantage. Manager Ange Postecoglou responded by withdrawing Angelo and sending on young goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi.

The decision became an early talking point, with footage of the challenge shared alongside a question over whether Bento should have been dismissed.

“Do you think Bento deserved a direct red card?”

The clip showed the sequence in full and prompted debate over the referee’s judgement, particularly because an Al-Nassr defender was nearby when Bento left his penalty area to confront Dembele.

The red card meant Al-Nassr had to reorganise before the contest had fully settled. Postecoglou’s decision to replace Angelo with Al-Otaibi reflected the immediate need to restore a goalkeeper to the side after Bento’s dismissal.

Al-Ettifaq were hosting the fixture, while Al-Nassr entered the match knowing they faced a difficult assignment in the third round of the Saudi Pro League. The early sending-off made that challenge more demanding, leaving Al-Nassr to negotiate the remainder of the game with one fewer outfield player available.

The incident was highlighted in coverage of the match under the labels “Al-Ettifaq v Al-Nassr” and “Saudi Pro League”, with the footage presented for supporters to assess. A promotional message accompanying the report also encouraged fans to buy tickets for Saudi Pro League matches.

At the point of the dismissal, the central issue was whether Bento’s action outside the area met the threshold for a straight red card. Al-Huwaish’s decision was clear, however, and Al-Nassr were required to adapt almost immediately after the goalkeeper’s attempt to stop Dembele resulted in his removal from the game.