Al Ahli’s pre-season run ends in defeat as Al Ettifaq win final friendly

Al Ahli suffered their fourth defeat in seven pre-season matches as they were beaten 3-1 by Al Ettifaq in their first game since the departure of German manager Matthias Jaissle.

The defeat came in Al Ahli’s final friendly before the start of the 2026-27 campaign, with Portuguese coach Rui Santos taking temporary charge of the Saudi Arabian club.

Al Ettifaq took the lead after 19 minutes when Moussa Dembele converted a penalty. The striker had won the spot-kick himself after being brought down by French midfielder Valentin Atangana.

Yasser Al-Shammari doubled Al Ettifaq’s advantage in the 31st minute. The midfielder capitalised on a misplaced pass from another French player, Enzo Millot, before finishing past Al Ahli goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al-Sanbi.

Al Ahli reduced the deficit in the first minute of added time at the end of the opening half. Firas Al-Buraikan ran through on goal after being played in by a well-weighted pass from new Portuguese signing Francisco Trincao and scored to make it 2-1.

Al Ettifaq restored their two-goal lead three minutes into the second half. New signing Abdulaziz Al-Bishi intercepted a misplaced pass in the centre of the Al Ahli defence, raced clear and completed the scoring.

The match was Al Ahli’s first since Jaissle left the club. The former manager is reportedly closing in on a move to take charge of Newcastle United.

Al Ahli’s latest result means they have won only one of their seven warm-up fixtures ahead of the new season. Six of those matches were played during training camps in Austria and Portugal, with their sole victory coming against Austrian side Saalfelden, who they defeated 8-0.

Before facing Al Ettifaq, Al Ahli had lost to German club Holstein Kiel and Portuguese sides Vitoria de Guimaraes and Portimonense. They also recorded draws against Portuguese club Rio Ave and English Premier League side Fulham.

Al Ahli will begin their competitive campaign on 13 August, when they face Al-Diriyah in the opening round of the Saudi Pro League.

The club are aiming to win the Saudi league title for the first time since 2016. They will also seek to retain the AFC Champions League Elite title, having won the competition in each of the past two seasons.