Al-Ahli claimed a narrow 30-29 victory over Chekhov Bears in a club friendly on Saturday, 23 August 2026. The match took place at the Bears' home venue and finished with the Moroccan side holding on by a single goal. To be fair, the result reflects the pattern of both teams' recent form rather than anything decisive in this particular contest.
Chekhov Bears had come into the fixture on the back of a heavy 28-22 defeat to Zenit St Petersburg the previous day. They have not tasted victory in their last five outings, losing four and drawing none. By then, the question was less about momentum and more about whether they could at least match the intensity of an opponent they had not faced before.
Al-Ahli arrived with mixed preparations. A draw against SKA Minsk on 22 August was followed by a loss to Slovan and a narrow win over Sloga Doboj. They had also beaten Besiktas in August 2024 but lost to MT Melzung just days earlier. And here's the thing — that inconsistency makes friendlies harder to read, because neither side was playing with anything like a settled rhythm.
The match itself did not offer minute-by-minute drama, but the scoreline tells its own story. Thirty goals to twenty-nine suggests a contest where chances were created and missed in equal measure. The Bears pushed hard enough to force a one-goal margin, but Al-Ahli's finishing proved just that bit sharper when it mattered.
What this friendly means in isolation is limited. Neither side is competing in a table at this stage of the pre-season. The result simply records that Al-Ahli finished on the right side of a tight scoreline on a Saturday afternoon. For Chekhov Bears, it adds to a run of results that demands attention when the competitive fixtures begin.