Gift Orban’s hat‑trick heroics in the Europa Conference League have set a new record for his Belgian club, Gent, Sports Extra reports. The 20‑year‑old scored three goals in just 205 seconds to help Gent defeat Istanbul Başakşehir 4‑1 in Turkey on Wednesday. All three strikes came in the first half of Gent’s 4‑1 win, which saw them progress to the quarter‑finals of the Europa Conference League 5‑2 on aggregate. This was Orban’s second hat‑trick in four days; he had already netted four times in a 6‑2 victory over Waregem on Sunday in the Belgian Pro League. His treble is the fastest hat‑trick ever recorded in a UEFA club competition.
Orban’s hat‑trick brought his tally to 12 goals in nine games since joining Gent from Stabæk in Norway in January. This surpasses the record previously held by Moses Simon, who made a strong impact in his debut season after arriving from Trenčín in 2014, scoring seven goals in his first 20 games and helping Gent to the league title. By comparison, Taiwo Awoniyi managed three goals in 22 appearances during the 2017/18 season, and Samuel Kalu scored twice in his first ten games after joining from Trenčín in 2017.
Looking ahead, Orban will hope to add to his goal count when the Buffalos host Eupen on Sunday. Gent currently sit fifth in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League, with 48 points from 26 matches.
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