Yassir Zabiri scored a stunning hat-trick as Racing Santander held off a late Elche comeback to secure their first victory of the LaLiga season with a 3-2 win on Friday.
The 21-year-old Moroccan striker, making his first start for Racing Santander, opened the scoring in the 15th minute after capitalising on a mistake by Elche goalkeeper Dituro.
Zabiri doubled Racing’s advantage just five minutes later, calmly finishing a through ball from Iván Martín after racing into the Elche box.
Racing continued to dominate and added a third goal in the 36th minute. Íñigo Vicente delivered a dangerous ball into the area, which Zabiri converted with an acrobatic finish to complete his hat-trick before half-time.
Elche improved significantly after the break and began putting the home side under pressure. Racing, however, appeared comfortable as they looked to protect their three-goal advantage.
The visitors eventually found a way back into the contest with just over 10 minutes remaining.
Sangaré reduced the deficit in the 78th minute when his effort from the edge of the box took a deflection off a defender before beating Racing goalkeeper Agirrezabala.
Elche struck again just a minute later, with Fer Niño heading home to make it 3-2 and set up a tense finale.
Despite the late pressure, Racing managed to hold on and secure all three points at El Sardinero, earning their first league victory of the campaign.
The victory gives Racing a major boost after they surrendered a two-goal lead against Villarreal in their previous match.
