Roberto Firmino, who has been a key part of Liverpool’s ‘wives’ attacking line in the English Premier League (EPL), exploded for a hat-trick on his Saudi debut.
Firmino’s Al Ahli beat Al Hajj 3-1 in the opening round of the 2023-2024 Saudi Pro League on Wednesday (Sept. 12) at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium outside Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Firmino was the star performer. After scoring his debut goal with a header six minutes into the game, Firmino found the back of the net just four minutes later.
Riyad Mahrez, an Algerian international winger who spent five seasons with Manchester City in the EPL, slid in a cross from the right flank.
Firmino then completed his hat trick.
In the 27th minute, he headed in a cross from the left flank that was saved by the goalkeeper and then pounced on the rebound for his third goal.
Since joining Liverpool from Hoffenheim (Germany) in 2015, Firmino has been one of the EPL’s most dominant strikers.
In eight seasons with Liverpool, he has scored 111 goals in 362 official matches, including 82 in 256 league games.
He helped Liverpool win the EPL title in 2019-2020, the English Football Association FA Cup and League Cup in 2021-2022, the UEFA Champions League in 2018-2019 and 2021-2022, and the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup.
In particular, he formed a fantastic partnership with Muhammad Salah (Liverpool) and Sadio Mane, who now plays for Al-Nasr (Saudi Arabia), and Korean fans nicknamed them the “Wife Trio” after each letter of their names.
Saudi teams have been attracting some of the biggest names in European soccer lately, thanks to their deep pockets.
Promoted side Al Ahli, who won the second division last season, are at the forefront of this trend.
Mahrez, who partnered Firmino on the day, also boasts a career record of 78 goals and 59 assists in 236 official appearances for City.
Alain Saint-Maximilien, who plays in a three-man defense with the duo, has been with Newcastle United in the EPL since 2019.
The EPL is considered one of the best leagues in the world, and they have a solid midfield outside of the top three. Ivory Coast international Franck Kessie, who has played for AC Milan (Italy) and FC Barcelona (Spain), got the start in the center midfield and was instrumental in the win. 메이저사이트
In goal for Altrincham was Senegalese international Edouard Mendy, who played for Chelsea (England) until last season.
Mendy was named UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year after leading Chelsea to the UCL title in 2021, and was also named FIFA’s Best Goalkeeper after leading Senegal to the Africa Cup of Nations title.