'Amazing start' - Ollie Watkins on dream debut as helps fire Al Hilal to huge win

After promising to deliver for Al Hilal, Ollie Watkins did just that.

On debut, too.

The England international, who joined the Riyadh club only two days previously, announced his arrival in the Roshn Saudi League on Wednesday night, garnishing his big bow with the third in Al Hilal’s statement 3-0 victory against Al Ahli.

Introduced for the second half, Watkins was celebrating four minutes from time, the star signing from Aston Villa stooping to head home Sultan Mandash’s back-post cross. 

So Villa’s all-time top scorer in the English Premier League has opened his account in its Saudi equivalent.

"I am happy to be here; it was a wonderful start - and I look forward to playing more matches here at our stadium," Watkins said,

"When I went out before the start of the game and went onto the pitch to check and soak it in the atmosphere, the fans were calling my name. From minute one, it was amazing.

"And, as you can see, all the boys are so welcoming. I've settled in really well and delighted that we've got a massive win here today."

To be fair, it wasn’t as if Al Hilal have been struggling for goals. Before Watkins’ intervention, last season’s RSL runners-up had scored 14 times in less than four full matches.

At Kingdom Arena, the hosts raced to a 2-0 lead by midway through the first half, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic breaking the deadlock nine minutes in when he beat the offside trap to finish.

Crysencio Summerville, another major summer addition, doubled Al Hilal’s advantage on 23 minutes with a fine solo effort from the angle.

Then, in first-half injury-time, Al Ahli had Merih Demiral sent off. Understandably, it proved uphill from there against a rampant Al Hilal.​

The win, at the expense of perceived title rivals and back-to-back reigning Asian champions, took Al Hilal to the top of the early season table; indeed, they and reigning champions Al Nassr are the only teams with a 100 percent start to the 2026-27 campaign.

With Watkins hitting the ground running, Al Hilal will be intent on staying at the summit for some time yet.

"I want to score in every game," he said. "That's the objective. Obviously just before [my goal] I got called offside, which was disappointing.

"But I kept going, kept going, and I'm going to get a lot of chances. Ruben [Neves] and Serge [Milinkovic-Savic] are very intelligent players and all I need to do is make the run.

"I'm a bit rusty at the moment, only had a couple of days training so, once I get in the groove, I'm going to be good."

Safe to say, too, that Al Hilal, and the RSL, have lived up to expectation - immediately.

"The level I saw here today was honestly of Premier League quality," Watkins said. "The match was very strong physically and demanding, and the quality was extremely high.

"I knew straight away [to join Al Hilal when the offer came]. I watched the [FIFA] Club World Cup and I saw how well they performed. I always see who's at the top of the league and they're always up there.

"And look, I want to come here. I want to win trophies and I think this team is going to give me the best possible chance of doing that."