Gabriel Martinelli Shines with Hat-Trick for Al-Hilal
Gabriel Martinelli didn’t just arrive in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night. He announced himself.
In the heat of Buraidah, Al-Hilal’s new Brazilian forward tore into Al-Taawoun and ripped up an eight-month narrative of frustration, scoring his first goals for the club and completing a ruthless hat-trick in the Saudi Roshn League’s seventh round.
A drought broken in an instant
The moment came early. In the 18th minute, with Al-Hilal already pressing, Martinelli reacted quickest to a rebound inside the box. One touch to set himself, one to bury it. Simple finish, huge release.
That strike carried layers of meaning. It was his first goal in Al-Hilal colours, arriving in only his third appearance since his summer move from Arsenal. It was also his first club goal in seven months, a wait that had stretched uncomfortably long for a forward of his intensity.
His last for Arsenal had come back on 15 February, in a 4-0 win over Wigan Athletic in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Since then, he had found the net just once – for Brazil – in a 2-1 victory over Japan in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
At league level, the numbers were even starker. He had not scored since 21 September 2025, when he struck in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City in the fifth round of the Premier League. Almost a full year without a league goal. The kind of statistic that follows a forward around.
On Saturday, he tore it up.
From relief to full control
Once the first went in, the tension disappeared. The movement sharpened, the runs grew bolder. Al-Hilal sensed it, and so did Al-Taawoun.
Just before the break, in the 43rd minute, Martinelli doubled his tally. English striker Ollie Watkins slid a precise through ball into space, and the Brazilian exploded onto it. One surge, one look, one finish. Three for Al-Hilal, two for Martinelli, and the away end in full voice.
Any lingering doubts about his rhythm vanished five minutes after the restart.
In the 50th minute, Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville drove down the flank and whipped in a low cross. Martinelli timed his run perfectly and swept the ball home with calm assurance to complete his hat-trick. No fuss, no hesitation. Just a forward playing with freedom again.
That third goal didn’t just seal a personal milestone. It underlined how quickly he has started to click with his new attacking partners, Watkins and Summerville supplying, Martinelli finishing.
A first for Al-Hilal, a reminder from Arsenal days
This was Martinelli’s first hat-trick for Al-Hilal and his first in eight months at any club. The last time he walked off with the match ball was on 11 January, when he scored three in Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Portsmouth in the third round of the FA Cup.
The contrast with his opening weeks in Saudi Arabia was stark. He had eased into life at Al-Hilal with a substitute appearance in the 2-0 win over Al-Shabab in the fifth round of the Roshn League, then started in the 2-0 defeat to Neom without finding the net.
Here, in Buraidah, everything clicked. The runs behind, the hunger in the box, the coldness in front of goal. The version of Martinelli that Arsenal fans knew so well resurfaced in Al-Hilal blue.
One game does not define a season, but some nights feel like turning points. For Gabriel Martinelli and Al-Hilal, this hat-trick had exactly that kind of weight.
