Al-Qahtani criticises Al Ahli celebrations after Al-Diriyah win

Yasser Al-Qahtani has criticised Al Ahli’s performance in their opening Roshn Saudi League match, saying newly promoted Al-Diriyah were the better side despite the Jeddah club securing victory and taking their first three points of the season.

The former Al Hilal and Saudi Arabia forward said Al Ahli’s celebrations had been excessive given the way they played, arguing that their opponents produced a stronger display in several key areas of the game.

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

Al Ahli, known as “Al-Raqi”, began the new campaign with a win, but Al-Qahtani said the result alone should not be taken as evidence that they had met the expected performance level.

He suggested Al Ahli benefited from good fortune during parts of the match and failed to establish clear superiority over Al-Diriyah, who are playing in the top flight after earning promotion.

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

His assessment highlighted the contrast between the two clubs’ experience and resources. Al Ahli are regarded as one of the leading teams in the Roshn Saudi League, while Al-Diriyah were making their first appearance in the competition after moving up from the second tier.

However, that difference was not reflected in the balance of play, according to Al-Qahtani. He praised Al-Diriyah for competing strongly against one of the league’s prominent sides and said they could have achieved a better result had they been more accurate when chances came their way.

The former Al Hilal star identified missed opportunities as a decisive factor in Al-Diriyah’s defeat.

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

The comments provide an early warning over Al Ahli’s level of performance, even though the club have started the season with a win. Al-Qahtani’s view is that the team’s true standing will become clearer as the campaign progresses, the standard of opposition increases and more matches are played.

Al-Diriyah can take encouragement from their display despite leaving the game without points. Their ability to trouble Al Ahli and create opportunities suggested they may be capable of competing in the Roshn Saudi League, although their failure to convert those chances ultimately contributed to the defeat.

The match also generated wider discussion around the two clubs, including speculation about the possible destination of Al Ahli and Al-Diriyah player Ali Al-Bulaihi. Tickets for Roshn Saudi League matches are also available through the competition’s official ticketing channels.