Gent forward Gift Orban netted three in 205 seconds recently to spark interest among scouts from Europe’s biggest clubs.
The Ghelmaco Arena, home ground of KAA Gent, was unusually abuzz last Thursday night for the Europa Conference League encounter against West Ham United. Among those who had flocked to the 20,000-capacity venue in East Flanders in Belgium were the passionate Gent faithful – including club owner Ivan de Witte, a pork butcher’s son who founded a successful consulting business and bought a club sinking in debt despite his wife’s objections – a sprinkling of Hammers’ fans and, to go by the commentators note, “scouts from top European clubs, which has become a common sight in recent times.”
It is passé for scouts to wander around lower leagues of Europe to discover unspotted talents. But this match, they had come to watch Gift Orban, a 20-year-old Nigerian forward who became an overnight sensation the week before, when he netted the fastest hat-trick in UEFA club competition, scoring three in merely 205 seconds against Istanbul Basaksehir in Turkey. It’s an elite list that he helms now, a top-10 that among others includes Mohamed Salah, Raheem Sterling, Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski.
The world has gluttonously devoured the hat-trick reel — those were three goals of utter fury and intelligence. The first was a left-footed strike from inside the box, where he traps the ball veering away from him at pace with his left foot and uncoils the same foot again for a thunderous shot on the rise to the far post, past the onrushing goalkeeper, sliding defender and another one searing to the post to head the ball away. The first touch was sumptuous, as was his anticipation for the through ball and the judgement.
The second was spectacular. First he produces a delightful flick to teammate Hyunseok Hong, who speeds away, but eventually loses the ball close to the edge of the box. But Gift rams in and unloads a scorching drive with his right foot to the top corner, past a melee of orange Istanbul shirts. A pair of defenders tried to close him down, but he was too fast and powerful. The third was almost a copy of the first.
In those 205 frantic seconds, Gift managed to lay off two passes as well and had a grass-cutter saved by the studs of the goalkeeper. The hat-trick could have been quicker, had he not unleashed his full repertoire of celebrations. The sliding one, two-tap dance steps near the corner flag, and an on-a-bended-knee kiss towards the heavens. In just three months and a dozen appearances, he has already become a crowd-puller.
