Zota Silva was the star of Olympiacos’ 5-0 triumph over Kalamata, scoring three goals in a very short span of playing time and setting a remarkable record in the red-and-white jersey.
The Portuguese forward found the back of the net in the 37th, in the 40th, and in the 46th minute, completing his hat trick in the span of ten minutes of play, even though the halftime break occurred between his second and third goals.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
His performance, impressive as it is, is not the fastest hat trick by an Olympiacos player in the top division. On March 17, 2002, Peter Oforikue took just six minutes to score three times in a 6-0 victory over Ethnikos Asteras, finding the back of the net in the 67th, 68th, and 72nd minutes.
The all-time record for the fastest hat trick in the top division belongs to Giorgos Dedes. On March 28, 1965, he scored in the 88th, 89th, and 90th minutes in Panionios’ 7-1 victory over Panegialios.
Olympiacos, however, also holds the record for the fastest hat trick from the kickoff of a match. Nelson Valdés scored three goals within the first 13 minutes of a 4-1 away victory over Ergotelis on March 23, 2014.
Before Zota Silva, the last Olympiacos player to score a hat trick in a league match was Ayoub El Kaabi, in the 4-1 win over AEK at Karaiskaki on November 24, 2024.
There is, in fact, a curious coincidence involving Kalamata. In the two teams’ most recent home match against each other in the First Division, on December 3, 2000, at OAKA, Olympiacos had prevailed 5–2, with Giovanni also scoring a hat trick, finding the net in the 5th, 21st, and 87th minutes.
The final 5-0 score also had historical significance. Leon Bailey’s goal in the 85th minute sealed Olympiacos’s biggest league victory over Kalamata, surpassing the 4-0 win from the 1974-75. The “Red-and-Whites” also recorded a 10-0 victory in the Cup during the 2001-02 season, in a match that isn’t directly comparable, since Kalamata was competing in the Second Division at the time.
*photo source: KYPE
