JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA, September 11, 2026: Al Ahli were behind before many supporters had properly settled into Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium. By halftime, they had turned the evening completely around.
Ahmed Al-Nakhli gave Al Hazem a second-minute lead, but Francisco Trincão equalized in the 21st minute before Ivan Toney scored twice, including one from the penalty spot, as Al Ahli recovered to win 3-1 in the Saudi Pro League.
The scoreline gives Al Ahli another valuable result after the instability that marked parts of their opening weeks, but the more revealing story was the response. They conceded almost immediately, stayed composed, and turned the first half into a demonstration of why their attacking quality remains capable of changing matches quickly.
For wider coverage of the competition, follow The Sports Encounter’s soccer news and analysis, including our continuing coverage of the Saudi Pro League title picture and Al Ahli’s earlier recovery.
Al Ahli 3-1 Al Hazem: Key Match Facts
| Competition | Saudi Pro League |
|---|---|
| Result | Al Ahli 3-1 Al Hazem |
| Venue | Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium, Jeddah |
| Al Hazem scorer | Ahmed Al-Nakhli 2′ |
| Al Ahli scorers | Francisco Trincão 21′, Ivan Toney 32′ (pen), 45′ |
| Shots | Al Ahli 18-15 Al Hazem |
| Shots on target | Al Ahli 4-2 Al Hazem |
| Possession | Al Ahli 52%-48% Al Hazem |
| Corners | Al Ahli 5-4 Al Hazem |
Match information and competition context can also be followed through the official Saudi Pro League website.
Al Hazem Score First, but Al Ahli Refuse to Let the Game Drift
Al Hazem could hardly have asked for a better start. Al-Nakhli struck after only two minutes, immediately changing the emotional shape of the contest and presenting Al Ahli with the kind of problem that had troubled them earlier in the campaign.
Recent defeats had shown that Al Ahli could become vulnerable when matches moved away from their preferred script. They lost 3-1 to Al Kholood in late August and were also beaten in a high-scoring contest by Al Qadsiah, a match The Sports Encounter examined in our analysis of Al Qadsiah’s 3-2 win over Al Ahli.
This time, there was no extended period of uncertainty.
Al Ahli stayed aggressive without becoming frantic. They finished with 18 attempts compared with Al Hazem’s 15 and held a narrow 52 percent share of possession. Those numbers do not suggest overwhelming territorial control, but they show that the hosts continued playing rather than allowing the early goal to dictate the evening.
Trincão Changes the Direction of the Match
The equalizer arrived in the 21st minute through Trincão.
His goal mattered beyond simply restoring parity. It came early enough to prevent Al Hazem from settling into a long defensive game and forced the visitors to reconsider how aggressively they could protect their advantage.
Trincão has become increasingly important to Al Ahli following a summer in which the club’s attacking structure changed significantly. The departure of Riyad Mahrez after three seasons removed one of the most recognizable creative players from the squad. The Asian Football Confederation confirmed Mahrez’s departure in July after he helped Al Ahli win consecutive AFC Champions League Elite titles. The AFC reported that Al Ahli entered the new season as back-to-back Asian champions.
That creates a different responsibility for players such as Trincão. He is no longer merely another attacking option. Matches like this require him to help dictate how Al Ahli respond when the game becomes uncomfortable.
Ivan Toney Makes the Difference Before Halftime
Once Al Ahli had equalized, Ivan Toney took control of the decisive phase.
The England striker converted a penalty in the 32nd minute to put the hosts ahead before striking again in the 45th minute. Within 24 minutes, Al Ahli had transformed a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 advantage.
Toney’s contribution continues a productive opening to the campaign. He had already scored twice in Al Ahli’s 5-0 victory over Al Riyadh, a performance that helped the club respond after consecutive league defeats. That result formed an important part of our Matchweek 5 Saudi Pro League analysis.
His value is becoming particularly obvious when Al Ahli need an efficient penalty-box presence.
The hosts put only four of their 18 attempts on target against Al Hazem. Three became goals.
That level of conversion will not happen every week, but it underlines the importance of having a striker capable of converting decisive moments rather than requiring sustained domination to influence the scoreline.
Toney Gives Al Ahli Something Their Rivals Also Possess
The early Saudi Pro League race contains several clubs with elite finishers capable of deciding relatively even matches.
Al Nassr still have Cristiano Ronaldo, whose 979th career goal helped them recover from their first league defeat in a 2-1 victory over Abha. Al Ittihad have seen George Ilenikhena emerge as an important attacking figure, including another goal in their 2-1 win against Al Fayha.
Toney gives Al Ahli their own reliable route through tight matches.
The difference against Al Hazem was that his decisive work arrived before halftime.
The Statistics Show a More Competitive Match Than 3-1 Suggests
Al Hazem did not spend the entire evening defending.
The visitors attempted 15 shots, only three fewer than Al Ahli, while possession was almost evenly divided at 52 percent to 48 percent. They also won four corners compared with Al Ahli’s five.
Those figures make the final score more interesting.
Al Ahli were better where matches are actually decided.
| Statistic | Al Ahli | Al Hazem |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 18 | 15 |
| Shots on target | 4 | 2 |
| Possession | 52% | 48% |
| Fouls | 18 | 11 |
| Yellow cards | 0 | 1 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
| Offsides | 3 | 1 |
| Corners | 5 | 4 |
Al Hazem generated volume without generating enough genuine danger. Only two of their 15 attempts were on target.
That contrast becomes particularly significant when compared with their previous league victory. Against Al Taawoun, Al Hazem survived despite having only 30 percent possession and six shots, with an early Aboubacar Bah goal enough to secure the result. The Sports Encounter broke down that unusual performance in our analysis of Al Hazem’s 1-0 win over Al Taawoun.
They again scored early in Jeddah, but this time the defensive structure could not protect the advantage.
What Al Ahli Did Better After Conceding
The most encouraging element for Al Ahli was their emotional control.
An early concession can easily turn into a period of rushed possession, forced passes and unnecessary exposure. Instead, the hosts gradually moved the game back toward Al Hazem’s penalty area and allowed their attacking quality to take over.
The sequence of goals tells the story clearly:
- 2′: Al Hazem take the lead through Ahmed Al-Nakhli.
- 21′: Trincão restores parity.
- 32′: Toney converts from the penalty spot.
- 45′: Toney scores again before halftime.
By the interval, the initial shock had become almost irrelevant.
That matters because the Saudi Pro League has already shown how quickly momentum can shift. NEOM recently ended Al Hilal’s perfect opening run with a disciplined 2-0 victory, a result we examined in our analysis of NEOM’s upset against Al Hilal.
Meanwhile, newly promoted Diriyah have demonstrated the value of individual attacking quality through players such as Darwin Núñez and Adil Boulbina, who supplied the goals in their 2-1 victory over Al Fateh.
In a league containing that level of attacking talent, dropping points because of a bad opening five minutes becomes increasingly expensive.
Al Ahli avoided that mistake.
Al Hazem Had Enough of the Ball but Not Enough Penetration
The frustration for Al Hazem will be that the match did not become a one-sided territorial exercise.
They remained within four percentage points of Al Ahli in possession and created 15 shots, yet they forced only two saves or goal-bound interventions.
That is where the difference between activity and attacking threat becomes important.
Al Hazem reached shooting positions but lacked the accuracy required to make Al Ahli uncomfortable after halftime. Once the hosts had established a two-goal cushion, the visitors needed a second goal quickly enough to reopen the contest.
It never arrived.
According to the league table displayed after the match, Al Ahli moved into fifth place while Al Hazem sat 10th, although positions can change as the remaining Saudi Pro League fixtures are completed.
Al Ahli’s Bigger Challenge Is Consistency
A 3-1 victory is useful. The more important question is whether Al Ahli can turn isolated strong performances into a sustained run.
Their recent results have already demonstrated both sides of their season.
They have produced commanding attacking displays, including the five-goal win over Al Riyadh, but they have also suffered defeats that exposed problems with defensive balance and control.
That inconsistency matters because the leading group has little room for prolonged downturns. Al Ittihad have continued collecting points, Al Nassr remain dangerous, Al Hilal have already established themselves near the top, and clubs such as NEOM and Al Qadsiah have demonstrated that they are capable of beating major opponents.
The broader title battle remains fluid, as outlined in our Saudi Pro League title-race analysis after Al Ittihad ended Al Nassr’s perfect start.
Al Ahli therefore cannot treat this result as evidence that every problem has disappeared.
What it does provide is something more useful: another example of the attacking level available when Trincão and Toney influence the same match.
What Comes Next for Al Ahli
The season remains young enough for league positions to move quickly, but each result is beginning to build a clearer picture of which clubs can stay in the leading group.
Al Ahli’s back-to-back Asian titles have raised expectations well beyond respectable domestic finishes. The AFC confirmed their second consecutive continental crown in April, when they defeated Machida Zelvia 1-0 after extra time in Jeddah. That historic title defense made Al Ahli only the second club in the competition’s modern era to win consecutive Asian crowns.
The standard is therefore clear.
Against Al Hazem, Al Ahli showed they can recover from an early setback, produce goals without controlling every statistical category, and finish decisive chances when the match is still vulnerable.
The next step is doing it repeatedly.
FAQ
Who won Al Ahli vs Al Hazem?
Al Ahli defeated Al Hazem 3-1 in the Saudi Pro League in Jeddah on September 11, 2026.
Who scored for Al Ahli against Al Hazem?
Francisco Trincão scored in the 21st minute before Ivan Toney struck twice, scoring a penalty in the 32nd minute and adding another goal in the 45th.
Who scored Al Hazem’s goal?
Ahmed Al-Nakhli gave Al Hazem the lead in the second minute.
How many goals did Ivan Toney score?
Toney scored twice as Al Ahli turned an early 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 victory.
What were the Al Ahli vs Al Hazem match statistics?
Al Ahli had 18 shots to Al Hazem’s 15, four shots on target to two, 52 percent possession and five corners. Al Hazem had 48 percent possession and four corners.