Al Ahli Top Saudi Pro League As Kessie Nets Decisive 1-0 Win Over Damac

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Al-Ahli moved to the top of the Saudi Pro League with a tight 1-0 victory at Damac, decided by Franck Kessie’s first-half strike and a late VAR intervention that ruled out Yakou Meite’s stoppage-time finish, though Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal still had chances to reclaim first place.

The scoreline contrasted with Al-Ahli’s recent free-scoring form, as the team had put nine goals past Al-Najmah and Al-Shabab in the previous two league rounds, yet against Damac the visitors produced only four attempts, registering a single effort on target, while Damac created 13 shots and forced four saves.

Kessie struck in the 37th minute from Al-Ahli’s first shot on target, reacting quickly after Roger Ibanez redirected Riyad Mahrez’s deep free-kick into the penalty area, and although the visitors rarely troubled home goalkeeper Kewin again, Mahrez almost added a second when a strike before half-time came back off the woodwork.

Al-Ahli’s attacking play lacked fluency for long spells, with Matthias Jaissle’s side failing to supply Ivan Toney, who finished the match without a single attempt on goal, while Damac gradually gained territory after the break but struggled to convert pressure into clear chances against a compact visiting defence.

Damac believed the late pressure had paid off four minutes into stoppage time when Yakou Meite finished from near the penalty spot, but VAR intervened and ruled Meite offside, and the data still leaned towards the league leaders, who edged the expected goals numbers by 0.75 xG to 0.35 xG despite Damac’s higher shot count.

The result extended Al-Ahli’s unbeaten league sequence to 13 matches, with 12 victories in that stretch and four consecutive wins, and during this run the only dropped points came in a 0-0 draw with Al-Hilal, while the team also chased a club first by attempting to score at least four goals in three successive league matches.

Elsewhere in the Saudi Pro League, Al-Qadsiah stayed close to Al-Ahli by moving within three points of the leaders after a 4-0 win over 10-player Al-Ettifaq, as early efforts from Nahitan Nandez and Christopher Bonsu Baah established control inside seven minutes before Abdullah Khateeb’s late dismissal led to further goals by Julian Quinones and Julian Weigl.

The narrow away success left Al-Ahli ahead but still under pressure, with Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal scheduled to play within the following two days, while Damac’s defeat kept the hosts in relegation danger despite a competitive display, highlighted by superior shooting numbers but undermined by the offside decision that cancelled Meite’s late equaliser.