Al Ahli booked their spot in the Saudi Super Cup final with a 5-1 victory over Al Qadsiah at Hong Kong Stadium on Wednesday, and is set to face Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr on Saturday.
Despite conceding early to Gaston Alvarez of Al-Qadsiah’s eighth‑minute header, the winners of this year’s AFC Champions League Elite (earning Al Ahli the title of ‘Asian Champions’) made a strong comeback. The team’s Franck Kessié equalised four minutes later, scoring after a long throw caused chaos in the box. Ivan Toney then put Al Ahli ahead after scoring a penalty in the 28th minute following a VAR (video-assisted referee)‑confirmed handball by Al-Qadsiah’s Nahitan Nández.
Al Ahli’s Riyad Mahrez took control of the right flank, assisting twice in the first half. The Algerian’s cross was headed in by teammate Enzo Millot on 31 minutes for the Frenchman’s first goal since his summer move from Stuttgart, before Mahrez teed up Kessié again in first‑half stoppage time to make it 4-1. Al Qadsiah’s night worsened in the 42nd minute when match officials awarded a straight red card to player Bonsu Baah’s challenge on Al Ahli’s Roger Ibañez.
[See more: Al Nassr beat Al Ittihad to reach the 2025 Saudi Super Cup final in Hong Kong]
After the break, Al Ahli stood strong. Just past the hour, Al Qadsiah captain Nacho Fernández scored an own goal from Galeno of Al-Ahli’s cross, which ended the game 5-1.
According to Xinhua, attendance dipped compared to Tuesday’s semi-final. Organisers later revised Wednesday’s crowd figure to 16,253, around 25,000 fewer than Al Nassr vs Al Ittihad. With Saudi Pro League star Ronaldo back in the line-up for the final, the numbers are expected to go back up when Al Ahli faces Al Nassr.
Mané will be suspended for Saturday’s decider, while Ronaldo chases his first trophy with the club. The Saudi Super Cup final kicks off Saturday at Hong Kong Stadium at 8 pm local time.
