DAMMAM: It has been 17 days since Matthias Jaissle left Al-Ahli for Newcastle, yet it would be very difficult to find any discourse surrounding Al-Ahli in Saudi football circles that does not focus entirely on the German head coach.

That has left recently appointed Marino Pusic with a tough task: filling the shoes of a head coach who brought unprecedented success to a club backed by arguably the most passionate supporters in the region.

His first two games at the Al-Ahli helm did not help his case. A narrow 1-0 win over newly promoted Diriyah in their Saudi Pro League opener — one that saw the midfield struggle to build play consistently with Pusic’s new philosophy — alongside a hard-fought win over first-division side Al-Anwar in the King Cup, dampened spirits further.

While it was early in the season, fans had already written this one off as a failed title bid before they even got started. The mood on Saturday night, however, was entirely different.

Back at Al-Inma Stadium for the first time this season, Al-Ahli faced another newly promoted side in Abha.

This time, there was no need for the fans to worry — within 13 minutes they were 2-0 up courtesy of two from Ivan Toney.

With Abha set up in a 4-1-4-1 with a focus on blocking central pathways, it appeared that Al-Ahli would face yet another opponent forcing them into sterile possession.

Just five minutes in, Eduard Spertsyan changed the complexion of the game and Al-Ahli never looked back.

The Armenian pounced on a loose ball in midfield, driving in between the lines before delivering a perfectly timed through pass to Toney, who finished past Donovan Leon to send Al-Inma Stadium into raptures.

Eight minutes later, Galeno was brought down in the box for a penalty, which Toney stepped up and converted from the spot with confidence.

Toney added his third of the night in the 57th minute when Francisco Trincao laid the ball off for a powerful finish.

But the goal of the night — and perhaps the week — went to Trincao himself. Six minutes earlier, he won the ball off former Al-Ahli defender Abdulbasit Al-Hindi before unleashing a scorcher — needing no further touch — to send the Al-Ahli faithful into a frenzy.

In theory, it was a night for Al-Ahli, Pusic and the fans to celebrate. But the signing of Artem Bondarenko from Shakhtar Donetsk cast a shadow over the occasion.

Despite the resounding victory against Abha, Al-Ahli have clear weaknesses in their defensive midfield, with the onus largely on Valentin Atangana to cover large areas of ground.

In just over 24 hours since the announcement, more than 16,000 responses were posted on X expressing discontent at the signing — stemming from the belief that he does not fit what the club needs right now.

Elsewhere in the SPL, three matches were played on Saturday. It started with one of the Eastern Province derbies — Al-Fateh against Al-Ettifaq.

In a match where both sides showed a desperate need for a better attack, it was Scotland international Jack Hendry who scored the only goal in the 78th minute to give Al-Ettifaq a vital 1-0 victory.

Another side that claimed a vital victory — and in stunning fashion — were Al-Kholood, who continued their excellent start to the season.

After holding Al-Ittihad to a draw in their opening fixture and thrashing Jeddah in the King Cup, they defeated Al-Taawoun 3-2, racing into a 3-0 lead in the first half before Abdelrazzak Hamedallah pulled two back in his pursuit of the all-time SPL scoring record. He is now just five goals behind record-holder Omar Al-Somah.

Finally, in Dammam, Al-Khaleej and Al-Shabab played out a goalless draw that saw Thomas Partey make his debut for Al-Shabab after coming on in the 58th minute.

SPL action returns on Monday with Neom hosting Al-Qadsiah at 7:40 p.m. before Al-Ittihad face Al-Hazem at 9 p.m.