Zabiri scores three in 21 minutes, Elche score two in two, and Racing hold on

Racing Santander had taken one point from their first two matches while playing well enough to deserve more. On 36 minutes at El Sardinero they were 3-0 up and Yassir Zabiri had all three.

He scored on 15, on 21 and on 36 — a hat-trick inside 21 minutes, in a match his side would finish with 40% of the ball.

Two goals in two minutes, and a long finish

Elche spent the second half doing what they had done at Riazor and at home to Barcelona: passing (481 accurate, 87%), winning corners (ten to Racing's five), and arriving late. Buba Sangaré scored on 78 and Fernando Niño on 79.

That gave them eleven minutes plus stoppage time to find a third. Racing's goalkeeper made five saves across the evening; the last of them mattered most.

Who is Yassir Zabiri

Zabiri is a 21-year-old Moroccan forward, born 23 February 2005, who arrived at El Sardinero this season after a year at Stade Rennais in France. Before that he spent two seasons at FC Famalicão in Portugal, where he first made his name. He is also part of the Morocco squad that reached the U20 World Cup final, a tournament in which he scored twice in the final itself — the first African player to do that — and finished with five goals overall, enough for FIFA's panel to name him the competition's Silver Ball winner as its second-best player.

He arrived at Racing this summer after that spell in France and Portugal, and the 15th, 21st and 36th-minute strikes against Elche were his first hat-trick since moving to Spain.

Match facts

• 15' — Yassir Zabiri (Racing Santander)
• 21' — Yassir Zabiri (Racing Santander)
• 36' — Yassir Zabiri (Racing Santander)
• 78' — Buba Sangaré (Elche)
• 79' — Fernando Niño (Elche)

What's next

A first win lifts Racing to four points from three, which is a fair return for a promoted side that has been the better team on the ball in most of its matches and finally got the finishing to match. Elche have one point from three and nine goals conceded.

Two different paths since that afternoon

This win over Elche has held up as one of only two Racing have managed in their opening seven matches. The other came at home to Alavés on 12 September, 2-1. Around it, the promoted side lost three straight — 2-3 away to Rayo Vallecano, 2-7 at Barcelona and 0-5 at Celta Vigo — a run that has left Racing with a goal difference of -10, the worst outside the bottom two of the table. Even so, the two points Zabiri's hat-trick salvaged against Elche still count: as of 20 September, Racing sit 15th with 7 points from seven games, three places and three points clear of the relegation zone.

Elche's response to conceding twice in two minutes and still losing was mixed. They followed this defeat with a 1-1 draw away at Athletic Club, a 2-3 home loss to Real Madrid, and then their first win of the season, 3-1 away at Espanyol. That result moved them to 5 points from six matches, but LaLiga's table still has Elche 18th — the first club inside the relegation zone — two places and two points below Racing, despite a goal difference of -5 that is five goals better than Racing's own.

Results since