Ivan Toney returns from injury to fire Al Ahli past Al Khaleej

Ivan Toney scored twice on his return from injury as Al Ahli beat Al Khaleej 4-1, responding on the pitch to a pre-match video that appeared to mock the England forward.

Toney had missed Al Ahli’s previous fixture against Al Fayha because of a hip-joint injury. Before the two sides met, Al Khaleej’s official TikTok account posted an AI-generated clip designed to provoke a reaction ahead of the Saudi Pro League meeting.

The video showed Toney apparently learning that Al Khaleej were Al Ahli’s next opponents before getting up and fleeing. Two Al Khaleej players were shown laughing, suggesting the striker was afraid of facing their team.

The clip was shared on social media by Turki Al-Zahrani on 20 October 2026.

Toney returned to the starting line-up for the 11th round match and quickly ended the joke on the field. His two goals helped Al Ahli secure a convincing victory and underlined his importance to the team’s attack.

The result also took Toney’s league tally to 13 goals, leaving him alone at the top of the Saudi Pro League scoring charts. His comeback therefore became a standout night, with the striker turning from the subject of pre-match ridicule into the leading figure in a comfortable win.

After the final whistle, Toney was asked by reporters about the video. Rather than prolonging the exchange or responding in similar fashion, he chose a measured answer.

“I will not comment on that, because if I comment, every club will do the same thing, and then I will obviously be annoyed,” Toney said.

His response brought the incident to a close without giving it further attention. The decisive answer had already come through his performance, as his double helped Al Ahli take all three points while maintaining his pursuit of further goalscoring records.