{
  "id": 2732219,
  "title": "Ivan Toney hits hat-trick, Cristiano Ronaldo earns praise from Ange Postecoglou",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/ivan-toney-hits-hat-trick-cristiano-ronaldo-earns-praise-from-ange-2732219",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-23T06:01:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2026/08/23/ivan-toney-hits-hat-trick-cristiano-ronaldo-earns-praise-from-ange-postecoglou/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In Saudi football's Pro League, Al Ahli secured a convincing 4-0 victory over Abha, marking their second win of the season. Striker Ivan Toney was the star of the match, netting a hat-trick in just over five minutes of the game. Toney's first goal came from a well-executed set-piece, while his subsequent goals showcased his speed and precision, as he capitalized on brilliant work from new Armenian midfielder Eduard Spertsyan and a goal from Portugal winger Francisco Trincao, who scored his first goal in Saudi football. Trincao then set up Toney for his third goal. This performance marked Ivan Toney's sixth hat-trick in the Saudi Pro League, bringing his total to 58 goals in 64 games since joining Al Ahli from Brentford.\n\nMeanwhile, in other matches, Al Kholood dominated Al Taawoun with a 3-2 victory, thanks to three first-half goals, while Al Ettifaq edged out Al Fateh 1-0 on the road. Scottish defender Jack Hendry scored the lone goal for Al Ettifaq. On Friday, Cristiano Ronaldo made a strong return to Al Nassr, scoring his 977th career goal in a 4-0 win over Al Riyadh. Ronaldo, who had been absent due to his recent wedding and the World Cup, was brought on as a substitute in the 62nd minute. Despite being on the bench for the majority of the game, Ronaldo still managed to add to his impressive goal tally, bringing his Al Nassr tally to 130 goals in all competitions. Manager Ange Postecoglou praised Ronaldo's dedication and work ethic, stating that his return to action was a positive sign for the team.",
  "summary": "England striker Ivan Toney scored a hat-trick as Al Ahli thrashed Abha 4-0 to make it two wins from two at the start of the new Saudi Pro League season. It took Toney just five minutes to break the deadlock as he capitalised on some great work by new Armenian midfielder Eduard Spertsyan to sweep home. It was 2-0 in under 10 minutes as Galeno was chopped down in the box and Toney dispatched the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "Ivan Toney hits hat-trick, Cristiano Ronaldo earns praise from Ange Postecoglou",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/ivan-toney-hits-hat-trick-cristiano-ronaldo-earns-praise-from-ange",
        "published": "2026-08-23T06:01:14.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}