SPL: Al Shabab crush Al Ahli after Yannick Carrasco hat-trick

Al Shabab ended Al Ahli Saudi's winning streak with a dominant 6-1 victory in the Saudi Pro League. Al Ahli had been on a five-match winning streak across competitions, but they struggled against Shabab at the SHG Arena in Riyadh. Ricardo Mathias put Shabab ahead in the second minute, and Yannick Carrasco doubled the lead before halftime.

Roger Martinez added a third goal in the 37th minute. Despite Feras Al Buraikan pulling one back for Al Ahli in the 40th minute, Shabab maintained their lead at 3-1 at halftime. Mathias scored again in the 48th minute, and Carrasco completed his hat-trick with penalties in the 66th and 82nd minutes. This was Carrasco's second treble in the Saudi Pro League, following a similar feat against Al Riyadh last February.

He has now scored six goals this season in the Saudi league. Al Ahli star Ivan Toney leads the charts with 13 goals from nine matches, while Shabab has 14 points from 10 matches. Al Ahli are currently sixth with 21 points. After the loss, Al Ahli coach Pusic acknowledged the team's mistakes, particularly in the first 25 minutes, and apologized to the fans.

He promised hard work ahead in the next match against Al Sadd of Qatar. Meanwhile, Al Ahli are aiming for a hat-trick of Asian Champions League titles, with star striker Toney missing the Shabab match but expected to play against Qatari side Al Sadd.