Ollie Watkins Shines with Brace for Al-Hilal in Saudi League
Ollie Watkins needed a night like this. A new league, a new country, a heavyweight club with heavy expectations – and in Buraidah, the Al-Hilal striker finally let loose.
Al-Hilal made the trip to face Al-Taawoun in the seventh round of the Saudi Roshn League, and from the opening whistle Watkins played as if he’d been waiting weeks to burst into life.
It took him nine minutes.
Ruben Neves, head up and unhurried in midfield, launched a trademark long ball over the top. Watkins read it instantly. One sharp run, one clean touch, and he was away, streaking clear of the Al-Taawoun back line. The finish was pure Premier League vintage: calm, precise, rolled past the goalkeeper with the kind of certainty that used to torment defences in England.
The deadlock was gone. So was any sense that Watkins needed more time to adapt.
Al-Hilal kept coming. Goals stacked up, pressure mounted, and Al-Taawoun struggled to live with the movement and tempo of the visitors. Watkins drifted wide, dropped deep, spun in behind – always available, always a threat.
The pressure finally told again early in the second half.
In the 56th minute, the England striker struck for the second time and sealed his own storyline. Bursting from midfield, he timed his run perfectly, slicing through the Al-Taawoun defence and bearing down on goal once more. No fuss, no hesitation. Another composed finish, his team’s fifth of the night, his second of the game.
His first brace in Al-Hilal blue.
For a 30-year-old who built his reputation on these kinds of doubles, it felt familiar. Last season with Aston Villa he produced five braces in the Premier League, saving two of the most eye-catching for the final rounds against Liverpool and Manchester City. Those performances pushed him into the spotlight; this one in Saudi Arabia hinted that he intends to stay there.
The start of his Al-Hilal career had been steady rather than spectacular. A debut goal in a controlled 3-0 win over Al-Ahli promised a smooth transition, but then came two quieter outings against Al-Shabab and Neom, matches where the chances dried up and the narrative stalled.
In Buraidah, he ripped that script up.
This was the version of Watkins Al-Hilal signed in the summer – direct, ruthless, relentless. If this is the standard he plans to set in the Saudi Roshn League, defenders across the division have just been handed a serious problem.
