PSV Eindhoven routed Galatasaray 5-1 in their Champions League qualifying fixture, courtesy of an amazing Eran Zahavi hat-trick.
The Israeli forward had a brilliant night which he capped off with the match ball, as it was his treble that helped the Eredivisie outfit get the better of their Turkish counterparts.
But apart from the hat-trick, Zahavi also had another moment of inspiration when he threaded through an inch-perfect through ball for his teammate Mario Götze to convert from.
PSV were already 2-1 up on the night courtesy of a Zahavi double in the first half as Marco van Ginkel fed a ball into the final third looking for the Israeli to get on the other end and complete his hat-trick.
Zahavi did get on the other end of the ball, but instead of waiting for the ball to come to him, he made a run towards it on the edge of the area.
The former Maccabi Tel Aviv striker showed brilliant technique and presence of mind to came up with an unbelievable touch and find Mario Götze who had made an unmarked run from the left flank.
The German forward had escaped attention from the Galatasaray defenders courtesy of their willingness to mark the main man Zahavi, who dragged a couple of defenders out with him and slickly slipped the ball into the gap he just created to find Götze.
The former Borussia Dortmund star did full justice to the through ball by coming up with a finish right into the top corner that left Fernando Muslera in goal no chance.
Götze scored PSV’s third of the night to put the result beyond doubt, but the man who deserves the most credit for the goal is Zahavi who later went on to complete his hat-trick in style.
Götze added a fifth for PSV soon, as the Dutch side finished the match 5-1 in the first leg at Eindhoven, and almost already secured the result of the tie in their favour. The second leg in Galatasaray will take place next week.
