Made in RSL: Al Sahafi creates history in Belgium

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

A graduate of Al Ittihad youth set-up, the 20-year-old winger and club teammate Faisal Al Ghamdi made the loan move to Beerschot ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, becoming the first pair from the Kingdom to play in the Belgian top tier.

Encouraging performances against Royal Antwerp and KVC Westerlo demonstrated the qualities of rising starlet Al Sahafi, but it was his third appearance in his new club colours that drew attention from fans and media.

On Friday night, Al Sahafi showed his quick feet in both goals, first cutting inside from the right flank and drilling home with his supposedly weaker left into the bottom corner to open the scoring at the half-hour mark.

On 70 minutes, and after Anderlecht had drawn level, the Jeddah-born attacker embarked on a mazy run into the visitors' penalty area before collecting a pass to slot home the winner. Al Ghamdi, also making his third appearance for the club, was one of the first to congratulate his compatriot.

The win was particularly impressive given Beerschot had been winless in 10 matches since the start of the season and sat bottom of the table, while Anderlecht had lost once in 10 and were within touching distance of the summit.

The history-making feat represented yet another milestone moment in Al Sahafi's burgeoning career. He made his Roshn Saudi League debut in July 2022, introduced as a late substitute in Al Itithad's 2-1 win against Al Fateh, and went on to register seven appearances in the subsequent 2022-23 campaign.

Al Sahafi established himself last season as a regular for the Jeddah heavyweights, featuring 20 times and finding the net for the first time in the RSL in the 3-1 victory against Al Fayha in March. His second Saudi top-flight goal arrived two months later, in the 4-1 win at home to Damac.

For sure, Al Sahafi has enjoyed a few days to remember this week: on Tuesday, he made his first start for the Saudi national team, in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Bahrain at King Abdullah Sports City.