Al-Ahli secured a valuable victory over their traditional rival Al-Ittihad with a score of one goal to nil, in the top match of the eighth round of the Roshen Saudi Professional League. The encounter took place on Saturday evening at the "Al-Inma" stadium in King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.

The match started with a fast pace and clear competitiveness between the two teams, as each side sought to assert its control over the midfield. Al Ahly appeared more organized in building their attacks, while Al Ittihad relied on the movements of Benzema and Moussa Diaby in the front line.

Matthias Jaissle entered the match with a lineup that included: Edouard Mendy, Ali Majrashi, Merih Demiral, Roger Ibanez, Mohamed Bakri, Franck Kessie, Enzo Milot, Atanajana, Firas Al-Breikan, Matheus Gonçalves, and Riyad Mahrez.

On the other hand, Sergio Conceição started the match with a lineup consisting of: Brice Raikovic, Mario Metai, Danilo Pereira, Hassan Kadh, Muhannad Al-Shanqiti, N'Golo Kante, Awad Al-Nashiri, Roger Fernandes, Houssem Aouar, Karim Benzema, and Moussa Diaby.

The first half ended in a goalless draw despite Al Ahly's repeated attempts, as they were closer to opening the scoring with dangerous shots from Firas Al-Buraikan and Mahrez, which were met by a solid defense from Al Ittihad led by Danilo Pereira.

In the 55th minute, Riyad Mahrez managed to break the deadlock after capitalizing on a cross from Franck Kessié inside the penalty area, striking it powerfully into the net past Rajkovic, giving Al Ahly the lead.

The union attempted to come back in the score through sporadic attacks led by Benzema and Diaby, but Al Ahly's defensive organization prevented them from equalizing. Meanwhile, Mahrez nearly added a second goal with a powerful shot that went just past the post.

With the final whistle, Al-Ahli emerged victorious with a single goal, raising their points total to 16 and securing fifth place, while Al-Ittihad remained at 11 points in eighth place, continuing Al-Ahli's dominance in the Jeddah derby this season.