The Senegal frontman struck three times as Gala downed Caykur Rizespor in some style
Senegal striker Mbaye Diagne scored a fine hat-trick as Galatasaray smashed Caykur Rizespor 4-0 in Super Lig action on Saturday.
The forward opened his account for the season on Monday as Gala were held 1-1 by 10-man Kayserispor, having previously gone eight matches without scoring across the Turkish top flight and the Europa League.
The floodgates have certainly opened now, as the attacker bagged three in the space of 35 minutes of playing time on Saturday to send the Istanbul heavyweights on their way to a significant victory.
After a low-key first half in which Rizespor succeeded in frustrating the visitors, Diagne opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the first minute of first-half stoppage time after Emre Akba was fouled in the box.
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He then added another seven minutes after the break after being played in by Akba to give Gala control of the contest, before extending their advantage 11 minutes from time from close range when he duped the goalkeeper with a feint before finishing emphatically.
By this point, Rizespor were down to ten men following the sending off of Fernando Boldrin, and Taylan Antalyali added a fourth in the 86th minute to round off a convincing triumph.
It was an eye-catching performance from Diagne, spearheading Fatih Terim’s 4-1-4-1 formation, as he hit the target with all five of his attempted shots, and created four goalscoring opportunities for his teammates.
He was supported effectively from midfield by Algeria’s Sofiane Feghouli, although Nigeria’s Oghenekaro Etebo was an unused substitute.
Having previously gone seven Super Lig games without scoring so far this term, Diagne now has four goals in nine league outings this term, taking him joint eighth in the Super Lig scoring charts.
The challenge now will be to kick on and match the 20-goal season he enjoyed with Kasimpasa in the 2018-19 campaign.
The victory means that Gala have now won four of their last five matches, and while they’re level on points with league leaders Alanyaspor, the unlikely pace-setters have played two games fewer and remain unbeaten.
Next up for Diagne, Etebo and Galatasaray, they host midtable Hatayspor on Saturday.
