Double Agent and an Own Goal: The Saudi Clasico’s Most Unlikely Twist

In a Saudi Pro League clash, Al Hilal edged Al Ittihad 2-0, with Mali-born Mamadou Doumbia inadvertently turning a Ruben Neves cross into his own net in the 41st minute. The miscue helped seal the win for Hilal at the Enmaa/King Abdullah Sports City setup, in a Round 6 affair that kept the title race lively.

The own goal by Doumbia marked only the second time in this derby’s league history that a player conceded a goal against his own side, a stat that adds a dash of irony to the tale. The first such milestone came ten years earlier, on October 30, 2015, when Ahmed Sharahili, then a defender for Al Hilal, inadvertently diverted a fellow defender’s through-ball into his own net; Al Ittihad still surged to a dramatic 4-3 victory that day at the city’s famous venue.

First Own Goal

That 2015 moment unfolded early in the match, when Sharahili tried to clear a ball inside the box but ended up guiding it past his own goalkeeper. The game remained fiery, with Al Ittihad building a three-goal first half cushion before Hilal roared back with two strikes after the break, leaving the final scoreline at 4-3 in favor of the visitors.

Double Agent

What makes Doumbia’s 2025 incident even more intriguing is the broader arc of Ahmed Sharahili. He wore the Hilal shirt in 2014–2019, contributed to league titles and domestic cups, and then moved to Al Ittihad in 2022. His career path—once a defender for Hilal, later a contributor to Ittihad success—adds a tongue‑in‑cheek layer to the derby’s narrative, especially when the own-goal headlines write themselves.

Own-Goal Trend in the Saudi Pro League

The Doumbia strike was the fourth own goal of this season’s Saudi Pro League, a reminder that even the most stable defenses can be undone by the most unlikely of missteps. The season has seen the union benefit from a few unfortunate touches, including a prior own goal against Al Ittihad by Saeed Al-Rubaei and others, such as Abdullah Dokori and Jamal Harkas, illustrating a peculiar league-wide theme this term.

This clash fuels a longer-running narrative about the derby: Al Hilal’s superiority at home in recent years, and Al Ittihad’s ongoing search for a streak against their arch-rivals. Even with Doumbia’s miscue, the match offered the usual mix of skill, suspense, and a reminder that in football, even a tiny misstep can become a defining chapter.

Punchline time: Doumbia’s own goal was so on-brand that even his shadow probably filed a complaint. Punchline two: in this derby, the ball kept heading home so often that the net started charging rent.