Al Ahli Saudi begin post-Jaissle era with victory in Saudi Pro League opener
Al Ahli Saudi began the post-Matthias Jaissle era with a hard-fought victory over Diriyah to get their Saudi Pro League campaign up and running. Jaissle left this summer after guiding the Jeddah giants to back-to-back AFC Champions League titles, taking over the reins at Newcastle United . His replacement, Marino Pusic, will have been forgiven for thinking Ahli had been given a favourable first…
Al Ahli Saudi began their new era following Matthias Jaissle's departure with a hard-fought victory against Diriyah in the Saudi Pro League opener. Jaissle had led the Jeddah giants to back-to-back AFC Champions League titles before moving on to Newcastle United. His successor, Marino Pusic, anticipated a favorable first fixture but faced a tough challenge from the promoted club.
Big-money signing Francisco Trincao, brought in to replace Riyad Mahrez, showcased his composure under pressure and scored Al Ahli's opening goal. Eduard Spertsyan added to the lead with a well-taken goal, celebrating his debut in front of the traveling fans. Despite Shabab's late fightback, Al Ahli secured the win, with Julian Quinones contributing a late goal for the visitors.
Meanwhile, Al Hazem triumphed 2-1 over promoted Abha, with Abdulaziz Al Duwaihi and Ahmed Al Shamrani scoring the goals. The Saudi Pro League fixtures for the following week included matches between Al Taawoun and Al Khaleej, Al Ittihad and Al Kholood, and Al Nassr and Al Fateh.
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