Al Kholood break Al Ahli’s Qassim stranglehold in Roshn Saudi League

Al Kholood ended Al Ahli’s remarkable dominance against clubs from Qassim with a 3-1 victory in the Roshn Saudi League on Saturday, securing a dramatic win in the fourth round of the competition.

The result brought an end to Al Ahli’s perfect 11-match record against Qassim-based opponents in the league. Before Saturday’s fixture, Al Ahli had won all 11 of those games, scoring 25 goals and conceding only four.

Their most recent success in that sequence had also come against Al Kholood, when they recorded a 3-0 victory in May 2026, according to Opta. That run represented Al Ahli’s longest winning streak against Qassim clubs in the competition.

Al Kholood, however, overturned that recent history with a determined performance and a decisive late finish.

The home side took the lead after 32 minutes when Iker Cortajarena converted a chance created by Koba da Costa. Cortajarena used his left foot to send the ball into the net, giving Al Kholood a 1-0 advantage at half-time.

Al Ahli responded after the interval and levelled the match through Ivan Toney in the 66th minute. The England forward’s goal appeared to have put his team in position to avoid defeat and maintain their outstanding record against Qassim opposition.

Instead, the closing stages produced a decisive twist.

With five minutes remaining in normal time, Julian Dominguez restored Al Kholood’s lead by scoring in the 85th minute. The hosts then completed the victory in stoppage time, with Mohammed Soaan adding a third goal in the second minute of added time.

The late double secured three important points for Al Kholood and completed their first league victory over Al Ahli after the Riyadh-based side’s previous 11 wins against clubs from the Qassim region.

Al Kholood’s success moved them up to third place in the Roshn Saudi League table with eight points from their opening four matches. Al Ahli, meanwhile, dropped to sixth with six points.

The fixture had appeared to be following a familiar pattern when Al Ahli recovered from Cortajarena’s first-half opener. But Al Kholood’s two-goal finish in the final stages changed the outcome and allowed them to claim a notable victory over opponents who had previously dominated this particular group of matches.

For Al Ahli, the defeat not only cost them points in the fourth round but also brought their extended winning sequence against Qassim clubs to an end. Their previous 11 victories had produced a combined score of 25 goals for and four against, making Al Kholood’s turnaround a significant result in the early league standings.