Trincao stunner and Toney hat-trick lift Al-Ahli to glorious victory against Abha

DAMMAM: It has been 17 days since Matthias Jaissle left Al-Ahli for Newcastle, and yet it would be very difficult to find any discourse surrounding Al-Ahli in Saudi football circles that does not focus entirely on the German head coach. That has left recently appointed Marino Pusic with a tough task — filling the shoes of a head coach who brought unprecedented success to a club backed by arguably the most passionate supporters in the region.

His first two games at the Al-Ahli helm did not help his case either. A narrow 1-0 win over newly promoted Diriyah in their SPL opener — one that saw the midfield struggle to build play consistently with Pusic's new philosophy — alongside a hard-fought win over First Division side Al-Anwar in the King Cup, dampened spirits further. While it was early in the season, fans had already written this one off as a failed title bid before they even got started.

The mood on Saturday night, however, was entirely different.

Back at the Al-Inma Stadium for the first time this season, Al-Ahli faced another newly promoted side in Abha. This time, there was no need for the fans to worry — within 13 minutes they were 2-0 up courtesy of two from Ivan Toney.

With Abha set up in a 4-1-4-1 with a focus on blocking central pathways, it appeared Al-Ahli would face yet another opponent forcing them into sterile possession. Just five minutes in, Eduard Spertsyan changed the complexion of the game, and Al-Ahli never looked back.

The Armenian pounced on a loose ball in midfield, driving in between the lines before delivering a perfectly timed through pass to Toney, who finished past Donovan Leon to send the Al-Inma Stadium into raptures. Eight minutes later, Galeno was brought down in the box for a