After eight years in England, Roberto Firmino decided to bring his talents to the Middle East this summer and has made a fantastic start to his new spell. On matchday one of the 2023/24 Saudi Pro League, the Brazilian delivered a hat-trick to Al-Ahli’s 3-1 win over Al-Hazm.
The former Liverpool striker opened the scoring at 6′, when he headed in a great pass from right-back Ali Majrashi. It took him just four minutes to score his second goal, which he converted after a precise assist from Riyad Mahrez. Vinícius Goes Barbosa de Souza, known as Vina, another player born in Brazil, discounted for the visit at 50′. After having a goal disallowed for offside, Firmino sealed his hat-trick at 72′.
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Firmino shines in his debut in Saudi Arabia
In Saudi Arabia, the Brazilian striker is one of the biggest names in the tournament. In the Premier League, on the other hand, he was already beginning to be overshadowed by younger footballers. With three goals in just one game, the attacker trained in Figueirense can compete for the title of top scorer in the league. He will have competition: Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Sadio Mané can be some of his rivals.
