Toney Scores a Hat-trick

Mar 4

2 min read

English football player Ivan Toney scored three goals to help Al Ahli win 3-2 against Al Hilal. The exciting match took place in Riyadh. This was an important win for Al Ahli, as they had not won at Al Hilal’s stadium since August 2019.

Al Ahli finished second in the AFC Champions League Elite group stage. Their coach, Matthias Jaissle, was happy with the victory. This game was also important because Al Hilal had not lost a home match in the Saudi Pro League since March 2023. However, in their last five league games, Al Hilal has dropped points four times. This is a problem for their coach, Jorge Jesus.

The first half of the game had no goals. But two minutes after the break, the game changed. Ivan Toney ran onto a pass from Gabri Veiga and scored from a difficult angle. Soon after, he scored again. This time, he got away from Al Hilal defender Kalidou Koulibaly and finished a good pass from Galeno.

Al Hilal did not give up. Captain Salem Al-Dawsari scored, and in the 83rd minute, Marcos Leonardo scored a penalty. It looked like the game would end in a 2-2 draw.

But there was one last surprise. Spanish player Gabri Veiga sent a long pass forward. Toney ran past the Al Hilal defenders and scored with his left foot. This was his third goal of the match. Now, Toney has scored 16 goals this season. He is level with Marcos Leonardo and Karim Benzema in the race for the Golden Boot. Cristiano Ronaldo is still first with 17 goals.

Al Ahli now has the same number of points as fourth-placed Al Nassr. They are just four points behind Al Hilal.

Glossary

Hat-trick – When a player scores three goals in one game.
Striker – A football player whose main job is to score goals.
Thriller – A very exciting game or event.
Victory – A win in a game.
Opponent – The team or person you are playing against.
Goalless – When no goals are scored.
Interval – A break between parts of a game.
Through-ball – A pass that goes between defenders to a teammate.
Tight angle – A difficult position to score from.
Defender – A football player who stops the other team from scoring.
Penalty – A free shot at goal after a foul in the penalty area.
Offside trap – A tactic where defenders move forward to catch an attacker in an offside position.
Treble – Another word for hat-trick (three goals in one game).
Golden Boot – An award for the top goal scorer in a league.