BY ANDREW EKEJIUBA
Gift Orban netted a hat-trick for KAA Gent in their 4-0 win over Cercle Brugge in a European Conference League playoff match at Jan Breydel Stadium.
Gent’s top scorer, Hugo Cuypers gave Gent the lead in the 42nd minute with a precise shot.
Orban got his goal in the 52nd minute when he received a pass from Sven Kums before firing the ball into the shot corner.
The Nigerian striker got his second goal of the day in the 65th minute when he was put through on goal by Tarik Tissoudali before finding the back of the net
Three minutes later, Orban bagged his hat-trick when he dinked the ball over the goalkeeper after receiving a long ball.
It is the third time the Nigerian striker has scored three goals or more in a single game for Gent, having netted four goals against Zulte Waregem on March 12 before netting the fastest hat-trick in European competition against Istanbul Basaksehir three days later.
The 20-year-old has now netted 5 goals in three games in the Jupiler League Europe playoffs.
In all competitions, he has netted nineteen goals in nineteen games for the Buffalos.
