Al-Shabab Thrashes Al-Ahli 6-1 in Historic Saudi Pro League Match
Yannick Carrasco scored a stellar hat-trick as Al-Shabab handed Al-Ahli the heaviest defeat in their Saudi Roshn League history.
Al-Shabab delivered a dominant performance on Friday, crushing traditional rivals Al-Ahli 6-1 at the SHG Arena in Riyadh during the twelfth round of the Saudi Roshn League. The emphatic victory inflicted the worst defeat Al-Ahli has ever suffered in league history, surpassing their previous low of a 6-2 loss to Al-Ettifaq during the 2018-2019 season.
The match began disastrously for the visitors when Al-Ahli defender Rayan Hamed lost possession early, allowing Brazilian striker Ricardo Matias to capitalize and score just 66 seconds into the game. Al-Ahli's night grew worse in the 22nd minute when starting goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al-Sanbi received a direct red card for handling the ball outside his penalty area.
With regular goalkeeper Edouard Mendy left off the substitutes' bench by Dutch coach Marino Pusic, young substitute goalkeeper Abdullah Abdo was forced into immediate action. Abdo's very first task was picking the ball out of his own net after Belgian winger Yannick Carrasco brilliantly curled the resulting free-kick past him in the 26th minute.
Al-Shabab extended their lead in the 37th minute when Matias drew a foul inside the box, allowing Colombian striker Roger Martinez to successfully convert the penalty. Although Al-Ahli's Firas Al-Buraikan managed to pull a goal back before halftime in the 40th minute by turning a low cross into the net, the home side maintained a comfortable 3-1 advantage at the break.
The second half continued the onslaught from the hosts. Just three minutes after the restart, Carrasco delivered a cross that Matias powerfully headed home for his second goal of the night and Al-Shabab's fourth. Al-Ahli's defensive struggles mounted after coach Pusic introduced defender Mohammed Suleiman Bakr, who subsequently conceded two separate penalties.
In the 66th minute, Bakr brought down Roger Martinez in the box, prompting Carrasco to step up and score his second goal from the penalty spot to make it 5-1. Despite a brief effort from Al-Ahli to reduce the deficit, including a shot that rattled the crossbar, Al-Shabab struck again in the 82nd minute when Bakr fouled Carrasco inside the area.
Carrasco successfully converted the final penalty to cap off a historic individual performance, securing his second hat-trick in the Saudi Roshn League and lifting his season tally to six goals. According to Opta statistics, Carrasco became only the second player to score a hat-trick in the mini Clasico between the two clubs since the 2009-2010 season, following Mohamed Benyettou's performance in September 2016.
Following the conclusion of the twelfth-round fixture, the standings reflect shifting fortunes for both clubs. Al-Ahli remains on 21 points with seven wins and four defeats, placing them sixth in the league table, while Al-Shabab's statement victory elevated their total to 14 points, moving them up to the tenth position in the standings.