Zabiri’s first Liga goals arrive in stunning 21-minute treble for Racing Santander

Yassir Zabiri scored three times in 21 minutes to announce his arrival in the Liga as Racing Santander defeated Elche 3-2 on Friday.

The Morocco forward took advantage of a costly mistake by Elche goalkeeper Matias Dituro to open the scoring in the 15th minute, before adding a second goal six minutes later. He completed his hat-trick nine minutes before half-time, giving Racing Santander a commanding lead in a remarkable opening spell.

Zabiri’s first goal came after a seemingly harmless ball was played in behind the Elche defence. Dituro misjudged his attempted control with his feet, allowing the opportunistic striker to take possession.

With the goalkeeper out of position and the goal unguarded, Zabiri had the simple task of guiding the ball into the empty net.

The 21-year-old quickly demonstrated that his opening goal was not merely the result of an error. In the 21st minute, Vicente released him behind the Elche defence, and Zabiri used his pace to get away from his markers.

The former Rennes player then beat Dituro with a low finish to double Racing Santander’s advantage and bring up his second goal of the evening.

Zabiri completed his treble in the 36th minute following another defensive lapse from Elche. Vicente recovered possession and delivered an accurate cross into the penalty area, where Zabiri attempted an acrobatic finish.

Dituro managed to intervene, but could not prevent the ball from crossing the line. The effort secured Zabiri’s first three Liga goals in emphatic fashion and gave the Moroccan forward a night to remember.

His three-goal burst put Racing Santander firmly in control of the contest, although Elche eventually reduced the deficit. Racing Santander held on to claim a 3-2 victory.

For Zabiri, the performance provided a spectacular way to open his Liga account. The forward’s finishing, movement and opportunism proved decisive during a 21-minute period in which he punished Elche’s defensive mistakes and established Racing Santander’s advantage.

The hat-trick was the clear highlight of the match, with all three goals arriving before half-time and each one coming in a different manner: the first through alertness after Dituro’s error, the second through a run in behind the defence and the third from a difficult finish following Vicente’s cross.

Despite Elche’s response later in the match, Zabiri’s remarkable first-half contribution proved enough to secure the points for Racing Santander.