Kalidou Koulibaly concedes unusual penalty for Al-Hilal

Al-Hilal preserved its perfect start to the Saudi Pro League despite an unusual mistake by Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly. The incident gave Al-Khaleej a chance to alter the match, but the hosts failed to take it and Al-Hilal continued its winning run.

Al-Hilal won 5-1, recording a third victory in three matches. The result confirms its 100 per cent start, while Al-Khaleej were unable to use the penalty opportunity created during the game. No league position is supplied, but Al-Hilal’s form remains faultless after three rounds.

Koulibaly’s penalty came after Al-Hilal’s goalkeeper returned the ball into play. The defender picked it up with his hand, apparently believing play had not restarted. The referee immediately awarded a penalty to Al-Khaleej.

The decision reflects a change in how this type of action is treated. Such an intervention had previously been tolerated in some circumstances, but it is no longer accepted this season. Gambian forward Musa Barrow took responsibility for Al-Khaleej and missed the penalty, sparing Koulibaly from a more damaging consequence as Al-Hilal went on to win comfortably.