League: Yassir Zabiri’s Express Hat-Trick Gives Racing Santander Their First Victory

Yassir Zabiri tore through Elche’s defense in devastating fashion, scoring three goals inside 21 minutes to hand Racing Santander a 3-2 victory at Estadio El Sardinero. The Moroccan forward’s first-half explosion gave his side a commanding 3-0 lead at halftime, and although Elche fought back late, it was not enough to deny Racing its first La Liga win of the season.

Zabiri’s 21-minute hat-trick stuns Elche as Racing Santander claims its first La Liga win of the season.

Zabiri opened the scoring in the 15th minute after Elche goalkeeper Matías Dituro made a costly error. Six minutes later, he doubled the tally with a composed finish following a smart run that broke the offside line. He completed his hat-trick in the 36th minute with a powerful left-footed strike from inside the box, capping off a first-half performance that left Elche struggling to respond.

Elche looked overwhelmed for long stretches of the opening 45 minutes, with defensive lapses and goalkeeping errors compounding their problems. Racing pressed high and punished every mistake, building a lead that seemed insurmountable at the break.

The visitors showed more resolve after halftime, scoring twice in quick succession through goals in the 78th and 79th minutes to cut the deficit to 3-2. Racing managed the closing stages carefully, holding on for a result that had looked secure since the interval.

The victory carries extra weight for Racing Santander, marking their first La Liga win since returning to the Spanish top flight after more than a decade away. For Zabiri, the match was just as significant on a personal level. His outburst inevitably invites comparisons to established Moroccan attacking talents such as Sofiane Boufal, whose creativity has long been a hallmark of the Atlas Lions’ attack.

The three goals were his first in La Liga, scored in his first official appearance and first start for the club. Zabiri, 21, joined Racing on loan from Stade Rennais in France. His performance already stands out as one of the more remarkable individual displays in the early stages of the La Liga season.

For followers of Moroccan football, the hat-trick adds another data point to a growing list of Moroccan forwards making an early impact in top European leagues. Like several Atlas Lions stars, Zabiri fits the profile of talents shaped by Morocco’s diaspora, having developed his early career outside the country before emerging on Europe’s biggest stages. Whether it leads to future opportunities with Morocco’s national setup remains to be seen, but the performance itself has already made an impression in Spanish football circles.