Al Diraiyah FC 0-1 Al Ahli: Match Report, Goals, Stats and Ratings
Saudi Pro League Matchday 1 · Thursday 13 August 2026 · Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh · referee M. Al Hoaish · full time
Full time: Al Diraiyah FC 0-1 Al Ahli
Al Diraiyah FC 0-1 Al Ahli: Al Ahli took the points in Saudi Pro League Matchday 1 on Thursday 13 August 2026 at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium. The goals: Eduard Spertsyan 25'.
How Al Ahli won it
Eduard Spertsyan put Al Ahli ahead in the 25th minute.
It was 0-1 at half-time, and nothing changed after the break.
The referee, M. Al Hoaish, showed 6 yellow cards: 2 to Al Diraiyah FC and 4 to Al Ahli.
Al Diraiyah FC: B. Nascimento, 4-2-3-1 · Al Ahli: M. Pusic, 4-2-3-1.
Moneyball's prediction against the result
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Why it went this way
On the day the expected goals were 1.24 for Al Diraiyah FC and 1.62 for Al Ahli.
Al Diraiyah FC scored about 1.2 fewer than their chances were worth: poor finishing, or a goalkeeper at his best.
Al Diraiyah FC had 3 shots on target, Al Ahli 7.
Al Diraiyah FC's goalkeeper made 6 saves.
Al Diraiyah FC had 57% of the ball, but Al Ahli took the points.
Where the two sides stood before this match
Al Diraiyah FC came into it with 12 Saudi Pro League matches played, scoring 0.8 and conceding 1.1 a match, with 1.36 expected goals for and 1.43 against, and had won 33% of their matches.
Al Ahli came into it with 11 Saudi Pro League matches played, scoring 2.5 and conceding 1.7 a match, with 2.24 expected goals for and 1.47 against, and had won 64% of their matches.
Al Diraiyah FC vs Al Ahli: the match in numbers
| Al Diraiyah FC | Match statistics | Al Ahli |
|---|---|---|
| 57% | Ball possession | 43% |
| 1.24 | Expected goals (xG) | 1.62 |
| 18 | Total shots | 15 |
| 3 | Shots on target | 7 |
| 2 | Big chances | 2 |
| 401 | Total passes | 317 |
| 85% | Pass accuracy | 83% |
| 8 | Corners | 4 |
| 8 | Fouls | 11 |
| 2 | Offsides | 4 |
| 12 | Tackles | 13 |
| 6 | Saves | 3 |
| 2 | Yellow cards | 4 |
Team statistics from Sportmonks.
Player ratings and man of the match
Man of the match: Eduard Spertsyan (Al Ahli), rated 8.7 by Sportmonks, with 1 goal.
Al Diraiyah FC
- Nikola Vasilj 7.6
- Hussain Al-Qahtani 7.0
- Idrissa Gueye 7.0
- Georges-Kevin N'Koudou 6.9
- Óscar Rodríguez 6.8
Al Ahli
- Eduard Spertsyan 8.7 1 goal
- Zakaria Hawsawi 7.7
- Merih Demiral 7.6
- Francisco Trincão 7.4
- Abdulrahman Al-Sanbi 7.2
The lowest-rated starter was Omar Colley at 6.4. Ratings run from 0 to 10; around 7.0 is a solid match.
What comes next
- Al Diraiyah FC: Al Faisaly vs Al Diraiyah FC Thursday 26 November 2026 · Saudi Pro League
- Al Ahli: Al Ahli vs Al Nassr Friday 20 November 2026 · Saudi Pro League
Each preview has Moneyball's estimate for the next match, published before kick-off and marked against the result afterwards, as this one is.
Questions about Al Diraiyah FC vs Al Ahli
What was the score in Al Diraiyah FC vs Al Ahli?
Al Diraiyah FC 0-1 Al Ahli (half-time 0-1), Saudi Pro League, Thursday 13 August 2026.
Who scored in Al Diraiyah FC vs Al Ahli?
Eduard Spertsyan 25'.
Did Moneyball predict Al Diraiyah FC vs Al Ahli correctly?
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Who was man of the match in Al Diraiyah FC vs Al Ahli?
Eduard Spertsyan, rated 8.7 by Sportmonks.
Who refereed Al Diraiyah FC vs Al Ahli?
M. Al Hoaish.
Every match, before and after
Moneyball writes a preview with its estimate before every match of Europe's top five leagues and the European cups, then marks it against the result, hits and misses alike.
Moneyball is a football statistics site. No model predicts football reliably: every figure is an estimate.