BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Oihan Sancet scored his second career hat trick to lead 10-man Athletic Bilbao to a 4-1 victory at home over Cadiz in the Spanish league on Friday.
Bilbao lost defender Yuri Berchiche to a second yellow card in the 58th minute while leading 3-1. Cadiz was never able to take advantage of the extra man – or stop Sancet from completing his treble.
Sancet grabbed the 10th-minute opener with a fierce strike from an angle that found the top corner.
New signing Gonzalo Escalante equalized for Cadiz at San Mames Stadium in the 25th.
But Sancet struck again 10 minutes later by firing in a pass by Raúl García after Cadiz gave up the ball near its area while under pressure. Defender Yeray Álvarez headed in a free kick to add to the lead just before halftime.
Despite losing Berchiche, Bilbao hit on the break in the 75th. García booted a long ball forward, Iñaki Williams nicely headed it onto the path of Sancet, and the forward fired home for his third goal of the evening.
“I can’t explain how this feels,” Sancet said while he was soaking up applause from more than 40,000 Bilbao supporters. “All my thanks to our fans for the support they are showing. I am happy that my goals helped the team get the win.”
Sancet leads Bilbao with seven goals, all in the league. He scored his other hat trick in January 2022 in a 3-1 win at Osasuna.
Ernesto Valverde’s Bilbao, which has advanced to the Copa del Rey semifinals, moved into seventh place in the league standings after ending a run of three losses in the competition.
Cadiz remained in the relegation zone.
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