Veliz bags hat-trick for Espanyol

Alejo Veliz rattled in his first career hat-trick for Espanyol on Thursday evening as they secured a 4-0 win away to San Tirso in the Copa del Rey.

The on-loan striker opened the scoring with a header eight minutes into the second half of the first round tie before adding two more late on to complete his treble.

His second – Espanyol’s third – saw him pounce on a loose back-pass to round the goalkeeper and slot home in the 86th minute, before he finished off a counter-attack by tapping into the empty net on the 90-minute mark. Irvin Cardona was responsible for Espanyol’s other goal.

Alejo has featured regularly for the La Liga side this season, featuring in every single one of their games to date.

He’s currently on four goals in 12 appearances, having also found the net in a 2-1 home league victory over Rayo Vallecano in August.