Al-Qadsiah 1-5 Al-Ahli: Kessie at the double in Super Cup semi-final rout

Al-Ahli booked their spot in the Saudi Super Cup final after thrashing 10-man Al-Qadsiah 5-1 in Hong Kong on Wednesday. 

A dominant first-half display did the damage, with Franck Kessie scoring twice while Riyad Mahrez notched two assists to seal a date with Al-Nassr in the final. 

However, Al-Ahli had to come from behind to seal their progression after Gaston Alvaraz headed past Edouard Mendy with just eight minutes on the clock. 

But Kessie restored parity just four minutes later with Ivan Toney putting his side ahead from the penalty spot just before the half-hour mark after a handball against Nahitan Nandez.

Enzo Millot, signed from Stuttgart earlier this month, then marked his debut with a powerful header past Koen Casteels inside the area after being picked out by Mahrez's cross. 

Al-Qadsiah were then reduced to 10-men in the 42nd minute when Christopher Bonsu Baah was shown a straight red card for a high challenge on Brazilian defender Ibanez. 

Kessie then put the result beyond doubt in the second minute of first-half stoppage time, with the rout completed just after the hour thanks to an own-goal from Nacho Fernandez. 

Data Debrief: Kessie leads with statement performance

Only four teams scored more goals than Al-Ahli's 69 in the Saudi Pro League last season, and Matthias Jaissle's side were at their clinical best in this match. 

Indeed, they registered an expected goals (xG) total of 3.22 from their 14 attempts, nine of which were on target, compared to Al-Qadisah's 0.43 from their five shots. 

But they were led by Kessie, who, along with his two goals, completed the third-most passes (57) and won the third-most duels (four) for his team, while he also won possession back more than any other player on the pitch (nine).