Morocco’s Youssef En-Nesyri blasts officiating after Al-Ittihad held by Al-Kholood

Morocco forward Youssef En-Nesyri has criticised the officiating after Al-Ittihad were held to a 1-1 draw by Al-Kholood in their opening league match of the season on Saturday.

En-Nesyri put Al-Ittihad ahead at the Alinma Stadium in Jeddah, but the hosts were unable to hold on to the advantage after being reduced to 10 men in the second half.

The Moroccan striker said mistakes from both his team and the officials contributed to Al-Ittihad dropping two points at home.

“Praise be to God for everything. We drew 1-1, but there were mistakes, both from our side and from the referees’ side,” En-Nesyri told reporters after the game.

En-Nesyri questions Pereira red card

Al-Ittihad played the final half-hour with 10 men after Portuguese defender Danilo Pereira was sent off in the 58th minute.

The referee initially allowed play to continue before consulting VAR and returning with a direct red card for Pereira following an off-the-ball kick on an Al-Kholood player.

En-Nesyri disagreed with the decision and argued that there had been no sufficient contact to justify the dismissal.

“There was no red card, there was no contact, but I am happy with the players and what they gave. I hope what comes next will be better, and we will give everything we have to win and make the fans happy,” he argued.

Moroccan striker makes immediate impact

Despite the disappointment of the result, En-Nesyri provided a positive moment for Al-Ittihad by scoring their opening goal of the season.

His strike also extended the club’s run of having a foreign signing score their first league goal of the campaign.

The Morocco international became the fourth consecutive foreign player to achieve the feat for Al-Ittihad.

However, his goal was not enough to secure all three points as Al-Kholood fought back to earn a share of the spoils.

Al-Ittihad begin season with one point

The draw means Al-Ittihad collected only one point from their opening home fixture, despite taking the lead.

En-Nesyri praised the effort of his teammates and called for an improved performance in the matches ahead.

The Saudi Arabian club will now turn their attention to their next league fixture as they look to recover from a disappointing start in front of their home supporters.

For En-Nesyri, the focus will be on building on his early goal contribution while helping Al-Ittihad turn performances into victories.