Al-Ahli moved back on track in the Saudi Pro League with a controlled 2-0 home win over Al-Fayha, despite captain Ibanez scoring the second goal then receiving a late red card after a VAR review for a reckless challenge on Sabri Dahal in the closing minutes.
The result came after Al-Ahli had lost their previous league match to Al-Fateh, their first game without Riyad Mahrez, who is away at AFCON, and here the attacking responsibility fell on Toney and Galeno, with both leading the forward line at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium.
Al-Ahli needed only six minutes to open the scoring when Toney finished a sharp move, side-footing Galeno’s low cross into the bottom-right corner after a precise forward pass from Ziyad Al Johani, giving the hosts an early lead and control of the Saudi Pro League contest.
Matthias Jaissle’s team pushed for a second goal before half-time, yet Al Johani squandered a good opening by firing over Orlando Mosquera’s crossbar, and when the match resumed, Galeno almost doubled the advantage as a crisp volley struck the base of the post within two minutes of the restart.
Al-Fayha gradually settled after the interval and began to create problems, with Abdulrahman Al Sanbi producing an important save to push away a long-range effort from Jason, before Nawaf Al Harthi showed delicate skill with a neat flick that looped beyond Al Sanbi but clipped the crossbar.
That improved spell encouraged Al-Fayha to attack with greater numbers, yet Al-Ahli remained dangerous from dead-ball situations and punished the visitors from a straightforward corner routine, as Ibanez rose above the defence on 64 minutes to meet Galeno’s inviting delivery with a powerful header into the net.
The match shifted again with five minutes of normal time left when Ibanez, who had been influential at both ends, committed a rash tackle on Sabri Dahal, initially receiving a yellow card which was upgraded to a straight red after a lengthy VAR review, leaving Al-Ahli to defend their lead with ten players.
Even a player down, Al-Ahli continued to threaten a third goal, and in the first minute of second-half stoppage time Toney almost extended the margin when breaking into the area from a tight angle, but Mosquera reacted well to repel the low strike and keep the score at 2-0.
Al-Ahli forwards and statistics stand out in Saudi Pro League victory
Toney’s composed early finish means the England international now has six goals in 10 league appearances this season, a tally in the Saudi Pro League bettered only by Roger Martinez with seven, Joshua King on 10, and the leading pair Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Felix, both on 12 goals.
Toney also led Al-Ahli for attacking involvement, recording team-high figures of four shots and seven touches inside the opposition penalty area, while Galeno created three chances and delivered five crosses, more than any other Al-Ahli player, underlining the influence both had in Mahrez’s absence across the full match.
The underlying numbers further reflected Al-Ahli’s control of the Saudi Pro League game, as Jaissle’s side produced an expected goals total of 1.98 from 10 attempts, compared with Al-Fayha’s xG of 0.39 from eight shots, only one of which tested Al Sanbi, supporting the view that the hosts fully deserved their 2-0 success.