Whistle Checked: Al Nassr’s 4-1 Triumph Over Al Khaleej Sets the Pace with a Lawful Laugh-Track

Highlights and referee analysis

Al Nassr extended their lead at the top of the Saudi Pro League with a 4-1 thrashing of Al Khaleej on Sunday night, in the ninth round of the season.

The win lifts the champions to 27 points, an unbeaten start, four points ahead of second-placed Al Hilal, while Al Khaleej stay on 14 points in seventh.

Key referee decisions during the match

In the game at Al-Nassr Park, two goals were disallowed by referee Mohammed Al-Sama\'il, and a Gulf player was shown a red card.

Former Egyptian referee Mohammed Kamal Risha told the Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadia that the decision to disallow a goal by Al Nassr in the 31st minute was correct, as there was a hand touch by Marcelo Brozovic during the buildup; the ball touched his arm, not his shoulder, something the video room flagged to the on-field official, who watched it and rightly disallowed the goal.

He also commented on Gulf players' calls to send Brozovic off, noting that the Croatian did not prevent a promising attack and thus did not deserve a second yellow.

He added: If we look at the position of the Nassr player on the field and compare with Gulf attackers, there were more defenders, so the attacking opportunity wasn’t proven; the foul was sufficient with no second yellow.

He also pointed to the validity of Al Nassr\'s second goal, which involved a collision in the buildup between Joao Felix and Saeed Al-Hamsi, Gulf\'s defender.

Risha explained that the Portuguese player touched the ball, not the opponent\'s foot, and managed to control it and set up the goal for Brazilian winger Wesley Gasova.

The referee also refused to award a goal to Gulf after Mansour Hamzi\'s contact with Nawaf Al-Akidi, the Nassr goalkeeper, a decision the expert described as correct: the Gulf player did not touch the ball, only collided with the keeper, preventing him from gaining full control.

Risha also discussed the sending-off of Greek Dimitrios Korbli\17s, Gulf player, describing the decision as correct after a dangerous challenge with the studs on Ali Al-Hassan\'s leg; Korbli\17s did not touch the ball and endangered the opponent.

The best start in the league

Nassr\'s win helped equal the best start in the Saudi Pro League history under Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus. They won their first eight rounds, beating a host of rivals, including Cooperation, Al Khoud, Al Riyad, Al Ittihad, Al Fateh, Al Hazard, Al Fayha, Neom, and finally Al Khaleej to tie the record with the all-time greats.

The Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadia reported that with Jesus, Al Nassr equaled the best start in Saudi Pro League history, a mark that began in 2008-2009.

With the same coach, Al Hilal had accomplished this start in 2018-2019.

Joy comes in twofold

Jesus expressed great happiness with the win, saying that tying the record felt like double joy, especially since it coincided with a Libertadores triumph earlier in the day.

He also commented on Cristiano Ronaldo\'s spectacular goal, praising the player for delivering when it matters most, on and off the pitch.

When asked which team could stop Al Nassr this season, he replied: I don\'t know.

But there is no team in the world that cannot be beaten; we remain focused on the Saudi league and the AFC Champions League, while aiming to compete fiercely.

Regarding the nine-match winning streak, he said: I will try to break this record in the next game.

Al Nassr will not play another league match for roughly a month, until December 21 when they visit Al Najmah at King Abdullah Sports City in Buraydah for Round 10 of the Saudi Pro League.

Punchline time: If the whistle had a sense of humor, it would have given that red card a standing ovation. And as for nine straight wins—Jesus didn\'t install a cheat code; he just pressed X for excellence.