Made in RSL: Al Sahafi creates history in Belgium | OneFootball

Youngster Marwan Al Sahafi bagged a brace as Beerschot stunned giants Anderlecht 2-1 in the Belgian Pro League on Friday, marking the first time a Saudi player has scored in the competition's history and the first-ever double by a Saudi player in a European top division competition.

The 20-year-old winger, a graduate of Al Ittihad youth setup, made his Roshn Saudi League debut in July 2022, coming on as a late substitute in Al Itithad's 2-1 win over Al Fateh, and went on to make seven appearances in the 2021-22 season.

The following season, he established himself as a regular for the Jeddah club, making 20 appearances and getting his first RSL goal in a 4-1 victory over Damac, after being set-up by Abderrazak Hamdallah.

Ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, Al Sahafi and his club teammate Faisal Al Ghamdi made a loan move to the Belgian side, becoming the first pair from the Kingdom to play in the competition.

Encouraging performances against Royal Antwerp and KVC Westerlo demonstrated the qualities of the rising starlet, but it was his third appearance in his new club colours that drew attention from fans and the press alike. Al Sahafi showed his quick feet in both goals, first cutting inside from the right flank and drilling with his weaker left foot into the near bottom corner to open the scoring at the half-hour mark, then embarking on a mazy run on the counter into the Anderlecht box before slotting home the winner.

The win was particularly impressive given Beerschot had been winless in their 10 matches since the start of the season and sat rock bottom, while their Friday opponents, Anderlecht, had only lost once in ten and were within touching distance of the top of the league.