Steven Bergwijn’s Al-Ittihad treble sets early-season target in Saudi Pro League

Steven Bergwijn scored a hat-trick as Al-Ittihad beat Al-Hazem 3-2, putting the Dutch winger within two goals of matching his entire Saudi Pro League total from last season.

The 28-year-old opened his league account for the current campaign with three goals in Monday evening’s meeting, played during the third round of the Roshn Saudi League. It was the first hat-trick of Bergwijn’s career in the competition and his first in an Al-Ittihad shirt.

According to Opta, Bergwijn now needs only two more goals to equal the five he scored in the Saudi Pro League last season. His treble therefore represents a significant early contribution after he managed five goals and four assists in 21 league appearances during his first campaign with the club.

Bergwijn scored his opening goal from open play against Al-Hazem before completing the victory with two successful penalties. His goals proved decisive in a closely contested match as Al-Ittihad secured a 3-2 win.

The performance also took Bergwijn’s overall tally for Al-Ittihad to 29 goals in 67 appearances since he joined the club from Ajax in the summer of 2024. His contract with the Saudi side runs until next summer.

Bergwijn had already scored twice for Al-Ittihad this season before Monday’s match. Both goals came in the 4-1 victory over United Arab Emirates club Al Jazira in the play-off round of the AFC Champions League Elite.

The hat-trick against Al-Hazem was consequently his first league scoring contribution of the campaign, while also marking his most productive single appearance in the competition since moving to Saudi Arabia.

Al-Ittihad’s win came in the club’s third league fixture of the season, with Bergwijn quickly closing the gap on his previous campaign’s total. His five goals last season came across 21 appearances, while the latest three were scored in a single 90-minute performance.

Bergwijn’s scoring form gives Al-Ittihad an important attacking boost as the club continues its domestic campaign and competes in Asia. After needing an entire season to record five Saudi Pro League goals last term, he is now two short of that figure at the beginning of the new one.