Labyad scores first Ajax hat-trick in FC Utrecht demolition

Zakaria Labyad scored a first-half hat-trick to lead Ajax to a 5-1 win over FC Utrecht in a pre-season game on Thursday.

After a below-par outing in Saturday’s game when Erik ten Hag’s men mauled RKC Waalwijk 6-1, the 27-year-old was at his best against his former team in the six-goal thriller.

In the encounter played at Johan Cruyff Arena, Labyad handed Ajax a fourth-minute lead – firing past goalkeeper Thijmen Nijhuis after Ryan Gravenberch’s initial effort had kissed the woodwork.

Utrecht had the chance to equalise in the 12th minute from the penalty mark after Noussair Mazraoui’s foul on Bart Ramselaar, however, Simon Gustafson’s careless attempt slammed against the post.

Ajax doubled their lead in the 21st minute through Noa Lang after he was played in on the edge of the box by teammate Anthony.

It was the turn of Nicolas Tagliafico to find the net 13 minutes later with Anthony the architect. The Brazilian exchanged passes with Lang, who assisted the Argentine defender to fire home from close range.

Labyad’s beautiful freekick in the 41st minute put the Sons of Gods four goals ahead, before the 27-year-old attacking midfielder completed his treble on the stroke of half-time.

After putting up an inspiring shift, he was replaced by Burkina Faso Lassina Traore at the beginning of the second 45 minutes as well as his compatriot Mazraoui, who came on for Sergino Dest.

While it looked like no goals will be scored in the second half, Utrecht pulled one back in the 73rd minute through Othman Boussaid after curling the ball into Maarten Stekelenburg’s goal's top corner from a short corner.

With this result, Ajax have now scored 11 goals in their last two games. They continue their preparation for the 2020-21 season with a tie against Austrian elite division outfit Wolfsberger AC on August 18, before locking horns with Red Bull Salzburg four days later.

Morocco international Labyad joined Ten Hag’s team from the Stadion Galgenwaard in 2018. Before the Dutch league was abandoned due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, he featured in just two games, against Heracles and Utrecht.

With his current form, he is expected to play a major role in the 34-time Eredivisie champions’ quest to have an impressive campaign.