Al-Kholood stun Al-Ahli with a hat-trick and snatch a thrilling victory
Al-Kholood team achieved a surprising victory over Al-Ahli with a score of 3-1, in the match that brought them together on Saturday evening within the competitions of the fourth round of the Saudi RoshN League, in a match that witnessed many fluctuations and excitement that continued until the final whistle.
The first minutes witnessed a refereeing controversy, after the referee awarded a penalty kick in favor of Al-Ahli in the third minute, before he retracted his decision and canceled the kick after returning to VAR technology.
Al-Ahli tried to capitalize on their strong start to reach the hosts' net, and almost opened the scoring on more than one occasion, most notably Ivan Toney's attempt, who passed a dangerous ball inside the penalty area, but Al-Kholood's defense intervened in time and cleared it.
Toney returned to create a new opportunity in the 23rd minute, after passing the ball to the new signing Bondarenko, who unleashed a powerful shot, but it went over Al-Kholood's crossbar.
Contrary to the flow of attempts, Al-Kholood succeeded in opening the scoring in the 32nd minute through Iker Kortajarena, capitalizing on a dangerous attack to put the hosts in the lead.
Al-Ahli's response was not delayed, as Ivan Toney managed to bring the match back to a tie, after unleashing a powerful shot that settled inside Al-Kholood's net, ending the first half in a 1-1 draw.
In the second half, Al-Kholood regained their advantage and managed to take the lead again in the 67th minute, after Dominguez scored the second goal with a powerful shot, putting Al-Ahli in a new task to return to the match.
Al-Kholood continued their pressure in search of securing the victory, which was achieved after Souaan added the third goal with a successful shot, thus the hosts decided the confrontation in their favor with a score of 3-1 and achieved a remarkable victory over Al-Ahli.