Darwin Nunez denied penalty as Al-Nassr decision backed by refereeing expert

Darwin Nunez was not entitled to a penalty during Al-Diriyah’s Saudi Pro League meeting with Al-Nassr, according to refereeing expert Mohamed Kamal Risha.

Al-Nassr faced Al-Diriyah at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh on Friday in the eighth round of the Saudi Pro League.

Nunez appealed for a spot-kick shortly before half-time after claiming he had been impeded by Al-Nassr full-back Awwad Aman inside the penalty area.

The referee reviewed the incident on the video assistant referee (VAR) monitor before deciding not to award a penalty. The decision surprised Nunez, who maintained that he had been brought down.

However, Risha supported the referee’s decision and said the contact between the two players was not sufficient to constitute an offence.

“The contact between Awwad Aman, Al-Nassr’s defender, and Darwin Nunez, Al-Diriyah’s striker, was normal and did not amount to a foul,” Risha told Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadiyah.

“There was no penalty, and allowing play to continue was the correct decision by the referee after reviewing the incident on the VAR screen.”