After a relatively sedate start to life in the Saudi Pro League, it is safe to say that Ivan Toney has found his goalscoring groove for Al Ahli.
The £40 million summer signing from English Premier League side Brentford notched his first SPL hat-trick in stunning fashion on Friday.
Toney had scored twice in six minutes to put Al Ahli 2-0 up at Al Hilal – the first a clinical finish past Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, the second a tap-in following fine work down the right by Brazilian winger Galeno.
But the reigning champions were not about to give up without a fight and after Salem Al Dawsari had pulled one back, Marcos Leonardo’s 83rd-minute penalty looked to have secured Jorge Jesus' side at least a point.
Toney, though, was to have the final word with three minutes to go. Gabri Veiga, who had supplied the assist for Ahli's opener, hooked a hopeful ball back over his head which was brought down in style by Toney who then blasted home a brilliant winner.
“We dug it out and the boys worked very hard,” said Toney afterwards. “And especially to get a hat-trick; especially because it’s my son’s birthday tomorrow, so a present for him when I get home.”
The treble means Toney has scored 12 in seven games and was the seventh successive match he had found the target, dating back to his double against Al Riyadh in January.
It was also Al Ahli’s first win against Al Hilal in eight SPL attempts and leaves them fifth in the table, four points behind the second-placed Riyadh club who are in turn six shy of leaders Al Ittihad.
“It means a lot,” added Toney. “I think we owed them; it’s been a long time since we beat them. We worked hard, it was back-to-back games, we had a game three days ago, and were tired.
“But it shows the spirit we have in the changing room and the players coming on did well also.”
Toney, 28, has now registered 16 goals in 22 SPL games for Ahli putting him in the most esteemed of company at the top of the scoring charts – level with Ittihad's Karim Benzema and one behind Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr.
“Hopefully I can score more,” Toney said back in October. “But I’m competing with myself; I don’t watch what other people are doing. [Ronaldo] is a top player, [but] I’ll concentrate on myself.”
Toney has notched 22 goals across competitions including five in the AFC Champions League which helped Ahli secure their spot in the last-16 after finishing second in the West Region table behind Al Hilal only on goal difference.
Next up is a trip to Qatari side Al Rayyan in the last 16, with the first leg taking place on Tuesday, and Toney looking to maintain his hot streak and help propel his team into the quarter-finals.
And he will be hoping his prolific club form might have caught the attention of new England manager Thomas Tuchel, who will soon name his first squad ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia at Wembley Stadium in March.
Toney has not played for England since making an 89th-minute substitute appearance in the Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain with interim manager Lee Carsley opting to go with other attacking options in the six games he took charge of.
“We had a brief conversation, but there’s a squad of more than one player that he has to focus on so, we had a brief chat and that was it,” Toney told FourFourTwo when asked about whether he had spoken to Carsley. “He’s got plenty of other players to focus on, and the squad at the time that he chose.”
Captain Harry Kane's relentless scoring form for Bayern Munich – the 31-year-old tops the Bundesliga goal chart with 21 in 22 games – means England's record goalscorer will not be relinquishing his starting spot any time soon.
But the role of Kane's understudy is up for grabs. Cole Palmer is the top English scorer in the Premier League with 14 but prefers not to lead the attacking line.
Ollie Watkins has 12 league goals for Aston Villa despite not yet hitting the heights of previous campaigns, while Spurs striker Dominic Solanke has seven goals but is currently out injured.
Liam Delap has been impressive scoring 10 times for relegation-candidates Ipswich Town but the 22-year-old has yet to win a senior cap.
The likes of James Maddison (nine), Jarrod Bowen (seven) and Morgan Rogers (seven) have been in the goals but are also not out-and-out strikers, while Marcus Rashford is still finding his feet on loan at Aston Villa and is unlikely to add to his 60 caps any time soon.
Toney has made it clear that he has not given up on an England recall while also hitting back at critics who question the standard of Saudi football.
“This league is a tough league,” Toney, who was banned for eight months in 2023 for breaking English Football Association betting rules, added in his interview with FourFourTwo. “Everyone has their opinion, it doesn’t mean it’s factual, I’m here to focus on myself and what will be, will be.
“If I was to get back involved on the international stage, I’m ready for it. But if not, then it is what it is.”
If you go
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700.
The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers.
The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
SCORES IN BRIEF
Lahore Qalandars 186 for 4 in 19.4 overs
(Sohail 100,Phil Salt 37 not out, Bilal Irshad 30, Josh Poysden 2-26)
bt Yorkshire Vikings 184 for 5 in 20 overs
(Jonathan Tattersall 36, Harry Brook 37, Gary Ballance 33, Adam Lyth 32, Shaheen Afridi 2-36).
Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'
Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.
Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.
"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.
"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.
"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."
TOUR DE FRANCE INFO
Dates: July 1-23
Distance: 3,540km
Stages: 21
Number of teams: 22
Number of riders: 198
MATCH INFO
Liverpool v Manchester City, Sunday, 8.30pm UAE
Top 10 most polluted cities
- Bhiwadi, India
- Ghaziabad, India
- Hotan, China
- Delhi, India
- Jaunpur, India
- Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Noida, India
- Bahawalpur, Pakistan
- Peshawar, Pakistan
- Bagpat, India
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
Take Me Apart
Kelela
(Warp)
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat
Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press
'Cheb%20Khaled'
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MATCH DETAILS
Chelsea 4
Jorginho (4 pen, 71 pen), Azpilicueta (63), James (74)
Ajax 4
Abraham (2 og), Promes (20). Kepa (35 og), van de Beek (55)
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
