Izuchukwu Okosi
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang marked his first start for Barcelona in style by scoring a hat-trick in Sunday’s 4-1 win over Valencia.
The former Arsenal striker landed a new club milestone as a result, becoming the first player in the 21st century to score a hat-trick for Los Blaugrana in his full debut.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelHaving managed just four goals in 14 appearances for Arsenal in the Premier League prior to his move to Spain, Aubameyang hit the ground running for his new club by breaking the deadlock in the 23rd minute.
The 32 years old striker raced onto a superb long-range pass from Jordi Alba and successfully struck it into the top right corner of the goal to break the deadlock.
Frenkie de Jong subsequently scored with a tap-in in the 32nd minute before Aubameyang emerged once more to put the game out of reach for the host with Barcelona’s third in the 38th minute.
Valencia had a little bit of hope restored after Carlos Soler scored their first in the 52 minute. However, the new Barcelona striker’s hat-tick was officially sealed after the referee credited him for the deflection on Pedri’s shot in the 63rd minute.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
