Cristiano Ronaldo sees Ivan Toney extend lead for SPL Golden Boot in controversial Al Ahli draw
Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr celebrated on Wednesday as Al Ahli let a golden opportunity slip in the championship race following a controversial 1-1 draw against Al Fayha. However, Ivan Toney scored for his side, extending his advantage over the Portuguese star in the hunt for the Saudi Pro League Golden Boot.
With Toney’s latest goal, the English striker now has 27 goals this season, stretching his lead to four over the 23 goals Ronaldo has netted for Al Nassr. With six matches remaining in the season, Cristiano must also overtake Al Qadisah’s Julian Quiñones, who currently sits on 26 goals.
Toney’s recent strike also saw him reach a historic milestone, as the Englishman equaled Omar Al-Somah’s record for the most goals scored by a player in a single season for Al Ahli.
Heavy controversy in Al Ahli draw
Al Ahli’s draw against Al Fayha was riddled with controversy, to the point that Ivan Toney slammed the referee for failing to award his team a penalty on three separate occasions.
The former Brentford striker posted a message on his Instagram account harshly criticizing the official, attaching videos of the three plays where his team claimed a penalty that went uncalled.
“Two of these actions went to VAR and one didn’t. It’s actually crazy how you can miss things like this in crucial moments or choose to turn a blind eye…” Toney wrote. “…Next time if needed I can bring someone from my area that doesn’t have a clue about football to do a MUCH better job than some of these clowns!“
Toney targets fourth official
The controversy extended beyond the alleged uncalled penalties. Following the match, in an on-field interview with Saudi network Thmanyah, Toney claimed that during a VAR review, the fourth official told his team they should focus on a different competition rather than the Saudi Pro League.
“I don’t know if the referee turned off his microphone before he said what he told me: ‘Focus on the Asian Champions League.‘ This is why we need the audio recordings to be released, so the fans can see the truth,” Toney said in his on-field interview.
Following the uproar, Al Ahli published a statement on their official X account demanding that authorities review all match recordings and communications between the referees and VAR. Furthermore, the club requested formal explanations regarding the officiating decisions made during the match.