Lacazette strikes twice in three days to match Tawamba’s Saudi football feat

Alexandre Lacazette has repeated a rare Saudi football sequence previously achieved by former Al-Taawoun striker Leandre Tawamba, scoring against the same opponent in two different competitions at the same stadium within three days.

The Neom forward scored three times against Al-Faisaly at Al Majma’ah Sports City Stadium. He began with a goal in Neom’s 3-1 victory on Tuesday, in the last 32 of the King Cup.

Lacazette returned to the same venue on Friday and scored twice as Neom beat Al-Faisaly 2-0 in the second round of the Saudi Pro League.

The French striker therefore found the net in both meetings, helping his side claim two victories over Al-Faisaly in the space of three days. His three goals also mean he has surpassed Tawamba’s total from the earlier version of the sequence.

Tawamba had set the precedent in 2019 while playing for Al-Taawoun. On 26 April that year, the Cameroon international scored during a remarkable 5-0 victory over Al Hilal in the semi-final of the King Cup at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh.

Just three days later, Tawamba returned to the same ground and scored the opening goal as Al-Taawoun beat Al Hilal 2-0 in a rearranged match from round 28 of the Saudi Professional League, according to Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadiyah.

The two episodes share several similarities. In both cases, the first match took place in the King Cup before the players faced the same opposition in a league fixture three days later.

Both players also scored in each game, with the matches taking place at the opposing team’s home stadium. Their goals contributed to victories for their respective clubs on both occasions.

Lacazette’s contribution was greater in terms of goals. He scored once in the cup match and twice in the league fixture, while Tawamba scored one goal in each of his two games against Al Hilal.

The result gives Lacazette a three-goal return across the two matches, compared with Tawamba’s two. It also places the Neom striker in the latest chapter of an unusual Saudi football pattern that links cup and league meetings with the same opponent at the same venue.

Lacazette joined Neom as the club’s attacking focal point and has now made an immediate impact in both competitions. His goals against Al-Faisaly secured a place in the next stage of the King Cup and followed it with another Saudi Pro League victory, while echoing one of the most distinctive scoring sequences seen in Saudi football in recent years.