Ollie Watkins Makes Dream Saudi Pro League Debut with Goal for Al Hilal

Ollie Watkins made an immediate impact on his Saudi Pro League debut, scoring a header to help Al Hilal maintain their perfect start to the season with a 3-0 victory over Al Ahli Saudi.

The 30-year-old forward finalized a £50 million transfer from Aston Villa on Sunday night. Entering the match as a substitute at Kingdom Arena on Monday, he sealed the win in the 86th minute after earlier goals from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Crysencio Summerville.

"I am happy to be here, it was a wonderful start, and I look forward to playing more matches here at our stadium," Ollie Watkins told the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat.

This triumph marked a fourth consecutive victory in as many SPL games for Simone Inzaghi's squad, lifting them above their Riyadh rivals Al Nassr on goal difference.

Al Hilal opened the scoring in the ninth minute when midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic beat the offside trap. Prior to acquiring Ollie Watkins, the club had already secured Crysencio Summerville from West Ham United for £60m, and the Netherlands forward doubled the lead with a brilliant solo effort in the 23rd minute.

Al Ahli suffered a further setback when defender Merih Demiral received a red card during first-half injury time.

Ollie Watkins entered the game at the beginning of the second half and capped his debut by stooping to head home a back-post cross from Sultan Mandash late in the match.

Reflecting on the standard of competition, Ollie Watkins praised the Saudi League, comparing its competitiveness to the Premier League. "It was a very good start," Ollie Watkins said. "The level I saw here today was honestly of Premier League quality. The match was very strong physically and demanding, and the quality was extremely high."

He added, "It was an amazing start; I did not expect it to be like this. When I went down to the pitch for the first time to inspect it before the match, the atmosphere was wonderful; the fans were chanting my name. It is an amazing start."

Meanwhile, Simone Inzaghi provided an update regarding Gabriel Martinelli, who arrived in Riyadh on Tuesday to finalize a €70m transfer from Arsenal. Discussing the impending arrival of Gabriel Martinelli, Simone Inzaghi told Asharq Al-Awsat, "As for Martinelli, we will see him take part in the coming matches."

The Saudi Pro League transfer window is scheduled to close on September 6.