Al Ahli’s opening win masks performance concerns, says Yasser Al-Qahtani

Yasser Al-Qahtani has criticised Al Ahli’s celebrations and performance after their victory over newly promoted Al-Diriyah in the opening round of the Roshn Saudi League, saying the underdogs were the better side in many aspects of the match.

The former Al Hilal and Saudi Arabia forward acknowledged that Al Ahli secured all three points in their first game of the new season, but argued that the result did not justify the scale of the celebrations from the Jeddah club.

“Honestly, it was an exaggerated celebration from Al Ahli’s players. The team was poor, while Al-Diriyah put in a great performance,” Al-Qahtani said on Thamanya.

Al Ahli were expected to demonstrate the difference in experience and resources between the two clubs, but Al-Qahtani believes that advantage was not reflected on the pitch. He said Al-Diriyah, who have only recently reached the Roshn Saudi League, performed better across the game despite ultimately leaving without a point.

The former Saudi Arabia international also stressed that winning the opening fixture should not automatically be taken as evidence that a team has played well.

He added: “I understand that you start the season without being at full strength, but Al-Diriyah were better in every aspect.”

Al-Qahtani suggested that Al Ahli benefited from fortune at certain stages and failed to establish clear superiority over their opponents. In his view, Al-Diriyah showed the stronger overall performance against one of the league’s leading clubs and could have taken a better result had they been more precise when chances came their way.

The missed opportunities were, according to Al-Qahtani, a central reason for Al-Diriyah’s defeat. He said the outcome and subsequent discussion would have been very different if the newly promoted side had converted the openings available to them.

“Had Al-Diriyah taken their chances, the whole conversation would have been different. Luck was not on their side today,” he said.

Al-Qahtani’s comments place an early question mark over Al Ahli’s level, despite the team beginning the campaign with a win and three points. He indicated that the club’s true standing would only become clearer as the season progresses, the matches become more demanding and the standard of opposition increases.

For Al-Diriyah, the performance offered encouragement even though it ended in defeat. Their display against Al Ahli suggested they were capable of competing with more established opposition, while their failure to make the most of their chances ultimately denied them a result to match their efforts.

The opening-round victory therefore gave Al Ahli the ideal points return, but not, in Al-Qahtani’s assessment, the convincing performance that might have been expected. Further fixtures will reveal whether the display was an early-season setback or an indication of wider concerns about the team’s form.