On May 18, in the 32nd round of the Saudi League, Riyadh Victory faced Riyadh Crescent at home. In this Riyadh derby, the home team got off to a perfect start, just over 20 seconds into the game, Cristiano Ronaldo made the ball, Otavio scored from a distance, and Riyadh won a 1-0 lead. However, Riyadh Victory did not hold on to their lead until the end of the game, and Riyadh Victory was awarded a penalty in the last minute, and Mitrovic equalized the penalty to make it 1-1.
Riyadh Crescent had previously locked up the Saudi league title, and after this round, Riyadh Crescent's league record reached a terrifying 29 wins and three draws, continuing its unbeaten run. Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga have a record of 27 wins and 6 draws, and in terms of results, Riyadh Crescent has a stronger league dominance than Bayer Leverkusen.
However, Riyadh Crescent's performance this season has been controversial, especially when it comes to penalty decisions, and Riyadh Crescent is really well taken care of. 20 penalties in 32 rounds! The Saudi giants have won: they earn more than the Argentine team, no wonder Ronaldo lost the championship.
In the Riyadh City Derby, the penalty opportunity that Riyadh Crescent was awarded was puzzling. Judging from the slow-motion replay, Mane's movements are not obvious, and the most important thing is that Mane is from outside the box to stop the opponent from advancing, even if he is whistled for a foul, it should be a free kick outside the box. As a result, the referee blew a penalty after watching VAR, and Mitrovic seized the opportunity to score, and the team's unbeaten run continued.
There was an uproar over the penalty, with Riyadh Crescent widely believing to have made a profit and they seem to have been protected by the league this season. According to statistics, Riyadh Crescent has won a total of 20 penalty kicks in the Saudi league this season, breaking the Saudi league's record for a single season of penalties and not being awarded a single penalty.
Seeing so many penalties in Riyadh Crescent also reminded fans of Argentina at the World Cup, when Messi's side got five penalty chances in seven games. Due to the many penalties of the Argentine team, Messi's World Cup title is also in doubt.
Now Riyadh Crescent is even more exaggerated, not only do they have more penalties, but their league opponents do not have the opportunity to take penalties when facing them. However, in the AFC Champions League, Riyadh Crescent was awarded 3 points in a single game against Al Ain and was eliminated. Looking at Riyadh Crescent's treatment in the league this season, Ronaldo is helpless to miss the Saudi Super League championship (33 goals and 12 assists lead the scorer list and assist list).