Houssem Aouar denied place in Al-Ittihad history after penalty save

Houssem Aouar missed the chance to make Saudi football history after Al-Kholood goalkeeper Hamad Al-Shanqiti saved his penalty in Al-Ittihad’s opening Roshn Saudi League match of the season.

Al-Ittihad hosted Al-Kholood at Alinma Stadium in Jeddah on Saturday in the first round of the Saudi league campaign. Aouar stepped up to take the home side’s penalty in the 32nd minute, but Al-Shanqiti produced an excellent stop to keep his effort out.

The miss made Aouar the first player to fail from the penalty spot in the current Roshn Saudi League season. The five penalties awarded in matches before Al-Ittihad’s fixture had all been converted.

It also prevented the Algeria international from reaching a notable milestone with Al-Ittihad. Had he scored, Aouar would have become only the second player in the professional era to score in at least two opening league matches for the club.

Aouar had scored Al-Ittihad’s first goal of the 2024-25 Saudi league season, giving him the opportunity to repeat that achievement at the start of the current campaign. However, his attempt was stopped by Al-Shanqiti, who is on loan at Al-Kholood from Al-Ittihad.

The save therefore denied a team-mate a place alongside one of the club’s most recognised figures. Fahad Al-Muwallad remains the only Al-Ittihad player to have scored in more than one opening league match since the beginning of the professional era in the 2008-09 season.

Al-Shanqiti’s intervention was particularly significant because of his connection with the visitors’ opponents. The goalkeeper is contracted to Al-Ittihad but was loaned to Al-Kholood, meaning he faced his parent club in the opening round and stopped Aouar from rewriting the club’s record books.

Aouar’s penalty had been awarded during an early-season contest that carried added importance for the Saudi club, but Al-Shanqiti’s composure ensured the run of successful spot-kicks in the league came to an end. His save also kept intact the record held by Al-Muwallad, whose goals in multiple opening fixtures remain unmatched by any other Al-Ittihad player during the professional era.

The result means Aouar will have to wait for another opportunity to join that select group. For now, the record remains with Al-Muwallad, while Al-Shanqiti’s penalty save stands as the defining moment of the opening match between Al-Ittihad and Al-Kholood.