A humiliating six-goal defeat: how did Al-Ahly pay the price for mocking Al-Ittihad?

What happened?

Al-Ahli did not have to wait long to pay the price for mocking their neighbours Al-Ittihad. A phrase posted on their official account after the dean's stumble against Abha turned into an embarrassing moment, coming right before a resounding 6-1 defeat to Al-Shabab in the twelfth round of the Saudi Roshn Pro League.

The story began when Al-Ittihad drew 1-1 with Abha. Al-Ahli's official account posted a picture of the shirt the team would wear against Al-Shabab, with the caption: "Al-Ahli appears in its finest attire", a sarcastic dig that played on the name of Abha, the side that had just halted their Ittihadi neighbour.

That phrase "finest attire" was no passing comment. It carried a clear allusion to Al-Ittihad's stumble, with Al-Ahli weaving the name Abha into their post to celebrate their new shirt while taking aim at a traditional rival who had dropped two points in the same round.

Football did not grant Al-Ahli much time to enjoy the jibe. The response came on the pitch, and it was brutal. A 6-1 hammering by Al-Shabab turned into one of the most embarrassing nights the elegant one has ever endured against the lions.

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Worse still, the scoreline carried its own history. Al-Shabab matched the very result they had inflicted on Al-Ahli back in 2008, making this fresh six-goal haul the heaviest defeat the team has suffered against their rival since that date and dragging a painful memory back into the open for their fans.

So the mockery Al-Ahli had aimed at Al-Ittihad rebounded straight back onto them after the historic collapse. The elegant one found themselves in an unenviable spot. Having hinted at their neighbour's stumble with the phrase "finest attire", they ended their own night against Al-Shabab six goals down, with the old post resurfacing from an entirely different angle.