Incredulous Al Ahli boss Cosmin Olaroiu has declared the error for Majed Hassan’s dismissal which left the club’s AFC Champions League hopes in the balance should never have been allowed to happen.
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Hassan, 22, was incorrectly shown a second yellow card on 60 minutes during Tuesday’s 2-1 Group D defeat to Al Ahli Jeddah despite team-mate Everton Ribeiro clearly fouling Bruno Cesar.
The Red Knights were a goal up through Ribeiro and on course for a historic first round-of-16 spot prior to referee Abdullah Baloushi’s critical case of mistaken identity.
A weird red card for Majed Hassan in the 62nd minute.
— Al Ahli FC (@AlAhli_UAE) April 21, 2015
“Errors of this kind are not permitted to occur in such games, and regardless of the verdict, there are three other officials who did not lift a finger,” Olaroiu said.
“There were two sides of the match; the first one was before the red card while the second phase was after we played with 10 men because things changed and our opponents took advantage of their superiority.
“We opened the scoring in the match and held on to our lead but the red card changed the course of the match because we had to make some changes which affected us.
“Our opponents are a good side and they deserved to qualify from the group but we will be holding on to our chances until the end.”
Ahli managed to hold out for more than a quarter of an hour before Mohanad Aseri headed in the leveller, Cesar then agonisingly half-volleying in the winner in the 94th minute.
UAE defensive midfielder Hassan was inconsolable at the final whistle, screaming in frustration while being held back by Olaroiu and his technical staff.
The Red Knights now need to beat bottom-placed Tractor Sazi for the May 5 final round of matches, while hoping second-placed Nasaf do not edge already-qualified Al Malaki.
Olaroiu is confident his troops will battle for progression in a fortnight’s time.
He added: “Nasaf have the chance to qualify from the group while we are waiting for the match against Tractor in Dubai and we are working to win. There are many opportunities to qualify. The team will be up to the challenge and will honour the shirt.”
