JEDDAH: Rabeaa Sefiani, the hero for Al-Ittihad in the King Cup final, paid tribute to the much-maligned Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system for overturning his wrongly disallowed goal in a 3-1 win over Al-Faisaly at the weekend.
With the scores locked at 1-1 in the fifth minute of extra-time, the substitute — who had come onto the pitch with just seconds of normal time remaining — swept the ball home inside a crowded area to give the Jeddah giants the lead only to see the offside flag raised.
English referee Mark Clattenburg — also a late substitute after original referee Fahad Al-Mirdasi was relieved of his duties prior to the match by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation and put under investigation — studied footage on the side of the pitch. After a short wait, the official signalled a goal to send the yellow and black-shirted supporters in a crowd of more than 60,000 at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah wild with delight.
“Thank God for the video system,” Sefiani told Saudi television. “It intervened and ensured that the right decision was made. I knew it was a good goal before it was shown on video but I was very happy to see that confirmed. It was a tough game but we came through at the end.”
The goal came at the perfect time for Al-Ittihad, especially as the team were recovering from a last-minute equalizer from Al-Faisaly.
Abdulrahman Al-Ghamdi had headed Al-Ittihad into the lead from a corner just before the break. Al-Faisaly could not find a way through until the 92nd minute when Saeed Al-Yami rose above the Al-Ittihad defense to head home Saleh Gomaa’s cross.
Sefiani, with a little help from technology and Clattenburg, restored Al-Ittihad’s lead and the 31 year-old turned provider four minutes from the end for Abdulaziz Al-Aryani to seal the win, and a place in the 2018 AFC Champions League, from close range.
“It has been a tough season for us but we have overcome many obstacles to get here,” added Sefiani in reference to the team’s disappointing ninth-placed finish in the league and the club’s much-publicized financial problems. “The important thing however is that the victory has brought great joy to the fans.”
Sefiani’s goal was just one of three occasions when VAR came to Al-Ittihad’s aid. Midway through the second half and in the final minute of extra-time, Clattenburg studied two penalty appeals from Al-Faisaly before deciding not to award the spot kicks.
This was much to the relief of Al-Ittihad president Nawaf Al-Muqairn.
“It is the perfect end to a very difficult season for us and this was the best way we could end it for the fans,” he said. “We needed this and the fans deserve it for the patience they have shown us this season. Now we are looking forward to the next season and more good news for our fans.”