Spertsyan Shines as Al Ahli Beat Diriyah 1-0

The Al Ahli club began its 2026–27 Saudi Pro League campaign with a 1–0 away victory over Diriyah Club at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium in Riyadh on 13 August 2026, claiming three points in the opening round of the season.

New signing Eduard Spertsyan made an immediate impact, scoring the only goal of the match in the 25th minute on his league debut for Al Ahli. The strike came from a fast transition, with the midfielder finishing a right-footed shot into the top left corner from inside the penalty area.

Diriyah Club, making their debut in the Saudi Pro League after promotion, started brightly and created an early chance in the 3rd minute, but a save from Al Ahli goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al Sanbi kept the score level. Despite pushing forward, the home side were unable to find the net across the 90 minutes.

Spertsyan was named Man of the Match, earning a performance rating of 8.4 on statistical platforms, with one goal and 28 of 29 passes completed alongside heavy involvement in attacking play. He reportedly joined Al Ahli from Krasnodar for a figure of around €22 million, though no officially confirmed amount in Saudi Riyal has been published.

For fans across the Kingdom, the result marks a confident start to the new season for one of the country's leading clubs, and an encouraging early sign from its latest recruit. It also underlines the growing competitiveness of the league, with newly promoted sides now taking on established names from the opening week.

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