Martinelli’s Saudi awakening: hat-trick at last

Saudi Arabia had been waiting for Gabriel Martinelli to finally show why Al-Hilal paid €70 million for him. The Brazilian chose the perfect moment to wake up.Martinelli struck a hat-trick in Al-Hilal's 6-0 demolition of Al-Taawoun in Buraidah on Saturday, finally delivering the kind of performance expected from the club's big-money signing.It was only the second hat-trick of his senior career, and his first since January, when he scored three times for Arsenal against Portsmouth in the FA Cup.##TWITTER_<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨🚨| Gabriel Martinelli scores his 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐆𝐎𝐀𝐋 in the Saudi Pro League! 🇸🇦⚽ <a href="https://t.co/4EKHZXs1cE">pic.twitter.com/4EKHZXs1cE</a></p>&mdash; CentreGoals. (@centregoals) <a href="https://x.com/centregoals/status/2098807166002217128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>####TWITTER_<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Martinelli sent him for a hot dog 🌭🤯<br><br>🎥 <a href="https://x.com/MaanAlquiae?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MaanAlquiae</a> <a href="https://t.co/rU9oACjGoO">pic.twitter.com/rU9oACjGoO</a></p>&mdash; 433 (@433) <a href="https://x.com/433/status/2098823788800385143?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>####TWITTER_<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Gabriel Martinelli hat trick !!! <a href="https://t.co/fUBwOMzRO7">pic.twitter.com/fUBwOMzRO7</a></p>&mdash; Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) <a href="https://x.com/GoalsXtra/status/2098819896142397717?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>##Martinelli was not the only Al-Hilal star enjoying himself.Ollie Watkins, signed from Aston Villa for €58.4m, produced an equally impressive display with two goals and two assists as Simone Inzaghi's side made light work of Al-Taawoun.The game was effectively over after just 18 minutes.Sunday: 18.30: (3.15) Man Utd (3.50) Man City (2.20)Watkins opened the scoring in the ninth minute after being picked out by Ruben Neves, before Martinelli doubled the lead nine minutes later. Watkins then turned provider, setting up Martinelli for his second in the 43rd minute to send Al-Hilal into the break 3-0 ahead.The Brazilian completed his hat-trick just five minutes after half-time, finishing off a fine run from Quincy Promes to make it 4-0. Watkins added his second soon afterwards, before setting up Sultan Mandash for the sixth and final goal in the 75th minute.For Al-Hilal, it was their sixth win of the season. For Martinelli, it was the performance Saudi fans had been waiting for.##LINKED_NEWS_68668##SAUDI PRO LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 7Al-Taawoun – Al-Hilal 0-6 (0-3)/Watkins 9,53, Martinelli 18,43,50, Mandash 75/##SOFASCORE_<iframe id="sofa-standings-embed-3708-99275" src="https://widgets.sofascore.com/embed/tournament/3708/season/99275/standings?widgetTitle=Saudi+Pro+League&showCompetitionLogo=true&widgetTheme=light" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="width:100%!important; height:1043px!important;max-width:768px!important;"></iframe><div style="font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;text-align:left"> Standings provided by <a target="_blank" href="https://sofascore.com/">Sofascore</a> </div>##