Al-Ahli spoil Diriyah’s debut on SPL opening day with narrow victory

RIYADH: It was fitting that the 2026/27 Saudi Pro League season opened with a video showcasing Diriyah's storied history. The club, which has made it to the Kingdom's top tier for the first time since its founding in 1976, represents more than just a football team. It is directly tied to the First Saudi State, which came into being in Diriyah in 1727 — now commemorated as Saudi Founding Day.

And so it came as no surprise that their fans showed up for their opening game against Al-Ahli at Al-Awwal Park in a completely different fashion. While the rest of the SPL fanbases don their club colours, the Diriyah fan group — stationed in the centre of the Al-Awwal Park stands — exclusively wore white: the traditional thobe of Saudi Arabia, with the club's burgundy draped around them in the form of a scarf.

Those fans were almost rewarded within three minutes of kickoff. Al-Ahli were caught playing out of the back by a high defensive press from the hosts, as Hussain Al-Qahtani won possession off Ziyad Al-Johani to slip Oscar Rodriguez through on goal. A fine save from Abdulrahman Al-Sanbi — standing in for the injured Edouard Mendy — denied Diriyah their first top-flight goal.

That midfield vulnerability became a glaring problem for Al-Ahli, who looked a different side from the one current Newcastle head coach Matthias Jaissle built over the last two seasons. Instead of breaking a compact block with aerial balls, they resorted to playing through the centre, but struggled to work their way past Al-Qahtani and Idrissa Gueye.

Al-Ahli's best opening ultimately came in transition, when Francisco Trincao received the ball deep in his own half in the 25th minute. He weaved his way through the Diriyah midfield to release Galeno on