It feels like a real “where are you?” moment.
Ivan Toney failed to convert a penalty in the 37th minute of Al Ahli’s Rosh En Saud League match against Najmaa at the Prince Abdullah Faisal Stadium in Jeddah on Thursday night, with the home team trailing 1-0.
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that’s right. Toni’s incredible run in Saudi Arabia came to an end when Victor Braga saved the England starlet’s penalty low on the right. To this point, he has calmly tackled all 17 previous attempts in RSL. Overall, his record with Al Ahli is 24 penalties and 24 goals.
But that’s it. Abnormal phenomena. Tony later admitted that this was proof that he was indeed just like the rest of us.
“It shows me I’m human,” Tony smiled. “Yes, it happens. Everyone can miss a penalty.”
However, it seems Tony can only do it once. He showed tremendous mental fortitude to bounce back in the second half and score a hat-trick, including a confident penalty kick in stoppage time. The match emerged from a draw as title-chasing Al Ahli secured a crucial 4-1 victory.
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That’s what the best strikers do. They don’t live; they don’t sulk. Instead, they returned to form, extending their 2025-26 RSL scoring lead to five points (Tony has 23 goals in 21 games this season) while pushing their side joint-top of the table.
Toni’s treble – notably his third in seven league games – pushed Al Ahli into second place, jointly ahead of leaders Al Hilal, who host Al Ittihad in the much-anticipated Saudi El Clasico on Saturday.
Al Ahli regrouped against bottom-placed Al Najma Club and maintained good momentum in their quest for a first top-flight title in a decade. The counterattack was led by the fiery No. 17.
“Everyone can miss penalties but that’s how you bounce back,” said Toney, who has scored 18 goals in his last 12 RSL games. “I got back into shape today and scored a hat-trick.
“I couldn’t sleep because I missed a penalty; I couldn’t sleep for a while because I would think about it. But if someone told me I missed a penalty because of a hat-trick, I would take it.”
