Riyad Mahrez Sparks Al Ahli’s Title Fever: Let Al Hilal Do the Losing
20 January 2026
Riyad Mahrez pushes for a rival's downfall
The Algerian star Riyad Mahrez, key for Al Ahli, stressed that Al Hilal must lose upcoming games for Al Ahli to contend for the Roshen Saudi League title.
He also assisted in Al Ahli's 4-1 win over Al Gulf on Tuesday at the Enmaa Stadium.
Next up: Neom and the title chase
The Algerian spoke after the match: "I’m happy to see us win; our next target is Neom—that's what we want".
Al Ahli will visit Neom on Saturday at King Khalid Sports City Stadium in Tabuk for the 18th round.
Mahrez added: "Then we’ll see what happens; we’ll take it step by step. Winning the league isn’t easy, but we have our project and we’re building it".
One by one, we win matches; in a month or two we’ll see how things stand, but we must perform—if we want the title, Al Hilal must fall.
The victory lifted Al Ahli to 37 points, second in the Saudi Pro League, four behind leaders Hilal, who have one game in hand.
Sniper joke #1: If scoring goals were a sniper shot, Mahrez would never miss the net—just the goalkeeper’s excuses.
Sniper joke #2: The title race is a sniper duel: one precise move and the other side is left wondering where the ball went.
