Saudi Arabia goal ruled out against Kuwait after Mohammed Kanno foul in Gulf Cup 27

Saudi Arabia were denied the opening goal against Kuwait after Mohammed Kanno was penalised for standing on Muath Al-Dhafiri’s foot during the first half of their Gulf Cup 27 group-stage match.

The incident occurred in the 37th minute at Alinma Stadium in Jeddah, where Saudi Arabia and Kuwait were meeting in Group A. The two sides had failed to score before the interval.

Kanno advanced down the right before the ball reached team-mate Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat. Abu Al-Shamat struck a powerful effort into the Kuwait net, but referee Joao Pinheiro ruled out the goal after identifying Kanno’s challenge on Kuwait midfielder Muath Al-Dhafiri.

The Portuguese official was in charge of the fixture as part of a Portugal-based refereeing team appointed by the Gulf Football Association. Chinese referee Fu Ming was responsible for the video assistant referee system.

The match is part of the opening round of the group stage at Gulf Cup 27, which is being hosted by Saudi Arabia in Jeddah. Group A also includes Iraq and Oman.

In the tournament’s first match earlier on Wednesday, Iraq and Oman drew 1-1.

Footage showing the disallowed goal from several angles was published by Alkass TV, with the incident occurring as Saudi Arabia attempted to take the lead against Kuwait.