Jaissle, Inzaghi on Al Ahli's 'crazy wild' comeback in Al Hilal classic | OneFootball

Matthias Jaissle called it a “rollercoaster”. “A wild one” at that.

It certainly was. Al Ahli were 3-0 down at home to Al Hilal in Matchweek 3’s marquee clash, but somehow rebounded in Jeddah with three goals in a manic 13-minute spell late on to snatch an implausible point.

There were 50,000-plus inside Alinma Stadium, the majority in white and green, that could barely believe it. Simone Inzaghi, too, the ever-animated Al Hilal manager who at full-time suddenly appeared drained of all energy.

His side, among the favourites to reclaim the Roshn Saudi League title this season, had been cruising. On 12 minutes, new boy Theo Hernandez put Al Hilal ahead, latching onto Malcom's sublime, defence-splitting pass to finish exquisitely past Edouard Mendy in the Al Ahli goal.

Midway through the first half, Malcom turned scorer, meeting Darwin Nunez’s brilliant centre to sweep beyond Mendy and double Al Hilal's advantage.

Four minutes from half-time, the Brazilian curled home his second, Al Hilal’s third. Last season’s runners-up looked set to maintain their unbeaten start to the campaign; Al Ahli apparently poised to relinquish theirs.

But, with 12 minutes remaining, the seemingly unimaginable took root. Ivan Toney, quiet for the majority of the game, displayed all his supreme striking instinct to prod past Yassine Bono.

The England international added another three minutes from time, nodding powerfully beyond Bono from Riyad Mahrez’s in-swinging cross.

It was left, then, for Merih Demiral to seal the most incredible of comebacks, the Turkiye international rising unmarked in injury-time to head home the equaliser.

Al Ahli had done it, the contest concluded 3-3, and another epic encounter in the RSL had elapsed.

“We knew before it would be a challenge - and a tough one, definitely,” Jaissle said afterwards, before going through the game as if to convince himself what had actually transpired.

Al Ahli had been in control early on, the German said. “Then three goals. Crazy.”

“The second half… of course you need to go all in then. And I have to say, I’m really proud once more how we made the turnaround; how we came back against Al Hilal. And you all know how strong Al Hilal are.

“From a 0-3 back to a 3-3 at the end of the match: that’s incredible. I’m so proud of the team. That spirit shows a lot of character that we have in the team. Again, together with the fans, this unity; this is a [fortress] here. That’s something special.”

Special, all round. Well, almost. For Al Hilal, it felt like three points surrendered - of course, it would - even if Inzaghi could recognise the spectacle he'd just been a part of.

"It was a great match for Saudi football,” said the Italian, who arrived this summer from Inter Milan.

Yet Inzaghi also acknowledged that the result, for him at least, was from far from ideal.

“This match will be a big lesson for us," he vowed. “We were good until the 80th minute; after that we lost ourselves. Many people enjoyed the match, but I’m sad about this scenario and absolutely not satisfied with it."

For the neutral, though, or anyone connected to Al Ahli, "satisfied" wouldn't even do it justice.