Gabriel Barbosa scored the first hat-trick of his senior club career in Santos 5-1 victory over Luverdense in the Copa do Brasil on Thursday.
The Inter loanee continued his solid form since returning to Brazil on a temporary deal in January, taking his tally to eight in 16 appearances with a treble at the Vila Belmiro.
Gabriel got off the mark by heading home Victor Ferraz s cross to cancel out Itaqui s opener, and he claimed an opportunistic second after the hour mark.
The 21-year-old completed his hat-trick in the 68th minute by slotting home a low, right-wing delivery from Ferraz with his trailing foot.
We never forget the first hat-trick, right? Gabriel posted on Twitter, alongside footage of his exploits.
Olha o(s) gol(s)! Pra fechar a noite, os gols dos no !
Mais conteúdos como este, só na ! Inscreva-se:
— Santos Futebol Clube (@SantosFC)
The result provided a boost for Santos following a 5-1 thumping at the hands of Gremio in the Campeonato Brasileiro on Sunday, which led to protests from a section of supporters prior to the Copa clash.
I m very happy. We were able to have a good game and create a lot of chances, said Gabriel in quotes reported by Globo Esporte.
What happened in the last game was a rarity, we ve not lost by more than two goals this year. Our team was outraged by the defeat, but these things happen.
Football is like this. We conceded five and today [Thursday] we scored five. Life is like that too.
If the fans support us, it will be much better.
Gabriel failed to establish himself at Inter following a reported €25million move in August 2016 and had a loan spell at Benfica cut short to enable him to rejoin Santos for one year.
