Al-Hilal defender Kalidou Koulibaly conceded a bizarre penalty by picking up the ball during a 5-1 Saudi Pro League win at Al-Khaleej.
The Senegalese international suffered a momentary lapse of concentration in the 64th minute on Friday evening when goalkeeper Yassine Bounou passed him a short goal kick inside the penalty box.
Bounou placed the ball on the ground inside his six-yard area and kicked it to Koulibaly. Thinking the goal kick had not been taken, the 35-year-old centre-back picked up the live ball with his hands to restart play himself.
Neither team initially questioned the action, but referee István Kovács immediately blew his whistle and pointed to the penalty spot. Players for Al-Hilal, who are managed by Simone Inzaghi, surrounded the official to argue that Koulibaly was merely repositioning the ball, but the decision stood. A commentator for broadcaster DAZN expressed astonishment during the live coverage, calling the incident one of the most foolish penalties to concede.
Bounou save and post-match reaction
Al-Khaleej failed to capitalize on the mistake. Gambian forward Musa Barrow stepped up to take the spot-kick, but Bounou reacted sharply to make a fine save and keep the scoreline at 5-1.
Visibly embarrassed by the mistake, Koulibaly declined to speak with reporters following the final whistle. On Saturday morning, however, the former Metz, Napoli, and Chelsea defender took to social media platform X to address the error. He wrote that even at 35 years old a player can continue learning, adding the Arabic phrase Al hamdoulilah alongside a message urging followers to keep working, keep learning, and stay focused.
League standing and player background
The victory secured three points for Al-Hilal, keeping them second in the Saudi Pro League standings behind leaders Al-Nassr FC, who feature Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
Koulibaly joined Al-Hilal after playing top-flight European football, having spent three years at French side Metz between 2009 and 2012, eight seasons at Italian club Napoli between 2014 and 2022, and a spell at English Premier League side Chelsea between 2022 and 2023. The defender has earned 105 caps for the Senegal national team, scoring two goals during his international career.
