Al-Ahli defeats Al-Khaleej 4-1 with a hat-trick from Ivan Toni in the Roshan League
In a thrilling night of dramatic twists and turns, veteran English striker Ivan Tony led his team, Al-Ahli, to a resounding and well-deserved 4-1 victory over Al-Khaleej in the 17th round of the Saudi Professional League. This win was more than just three points; it came through a remarkable comeback that underscored Al-Ahli's strong character and their ability to recover in difficult matches.
Details of the match at Al-Inma Stadium
The Al-Inma Stadium at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah hosted this match, which began with an early shock for Al-Ahli fans. The team suffered a major blow when Turkish defender Merih Demiral was forced off with an injury, disrupting coach Mathias Jäissle's defensive plans. Al-Khaleej capitalized on this confusion and managed to snatch the lead in the 19th minute through Giorgos Masouras, ending the first half with the home side trailing and much to the fans' concern.
Ivan Toni's hurricane in the second half
With the start of the second half, Al-Ahli entered with a completely different spirit, imposing their absolute control over the game. This is where the immense talent of striker Ivan Toni shone through, establishing himself as the undisputed star of the match by scoring a hat-trick in the 59th, 67th, and 77th minutes, turning the tables on the visitors and transforming a deficit into a comfortable lead. Al-Ahli didn't stop there; substitute Rayan Hamed added a fourth goal in the 86th minute, confirming the Jeddah team's dominance.
The importance of winning and its impact on the standings
This victory holds immense strategic importance for Al-Ahli in their pursuit of a top spot that would qualify them for continental championships. With this result, Al-Ahli raised their points tally to 37, securing their eleventh win of the season and temporarily propelling them to second place in the standings, putting pressure on the league leaders and their closest rivals. Meanwhile, Al-Khaleej's points total remains at 24, leaving them in eighth place after suffering their sixth defeat.
Al-Kholoud sweeps through Al-Fath in Al-Ahsa
In a related development within the same round, Al-Fateh Stadium in Al-Ahsa witnessed another goal fest, as Al-Kholoud achieved a resounding and surprising 5-2 victory over their hosts, Al-Fateh. Al-Kholoud's goals were scored by Ramiro Henrique (two goals in the 12th and 81st minutes), Mohammed Souan (19th minute), Hattan Bahebri (55th minute), and Abdulrahman Al-Dossari (71st minute). Al-Fateh's goals came from Zaidou Yousef (45+3 minute) and an own goal by John Buckley (57th minute). The match also saw Mourad Batna miss a penalty that could have narrowed the gap.
With this resounding result, Al-Kholoud raised its tally to 15 points, occupying the twelfth position, in an important step to move away from the danger zones, while Al-Fateh’s situation worsened as its tally froze at 21 points in the ninth position, suffering its seventh loss this season.
