Rayan Hamad Shines as Jaissle’s Al-Ahli Edge Al-Hazm 2-0

Match Recap

German coach Matthias Jaissle praised his player Rayan Hamad, who recently stepped in to cover the injury absence of Turkish defender Merih Demiral. Hamad started as Al-Ahli defeated Al-Hazm 2-0 at the Al-Enmaa Stadium, in the 21st round of the Saudi Pro League this week.

In a post-match conference, Jaissle told Asharq Al-Awsat that Demiral did not train recently; we miss him, but I am proud of Rayan Hamad and contribution.

He added: 'This is a victory; we adapted to the schedule, controlled the game, and kept a clean sheet.'

We delivered a strong performance defensively and offensively, despite pressure and fatigue on all players.

He continued: 'We work day and night since arriving on the staff; we’ve improved over two seasons, and the journey has been amazing thanks to dressing room spirit.'

Then he discussed striker Ricardo Matias's future role, noting his absence since signing from Internacional during the winter window, and suggesting time before he can integrate with the squad.

He concluded: 'Ricardo Matias needs time to settle in; we have days before the Asian clash, and we will assess his involvement.'

Al-Ahli prepare to face Al Wasl UAE Monday in round seven and the penultimate stage of the Elite Asian Champions League.

Punchline 1: Jaissle’s playbook is so tight, even the options are filing restraining orders against chaos. Punchline 2: If Hamad keeps growing, Demiral might start asking for a lift back to the hospital—just to avoid the backline getting any tougher.