Honoring the 12 European players who scored a hat-trick in group stages of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers
The group stages of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in the UEFA zone have officially come to an end.
The ten group winners— Germany, Denmark, The Netherlands, Serbia, Switzerland, Spain, England, Croatia, France and Belgium— have sealed their place at the Qatar showpiece in 2022.
Next March, 12 teams will face off for the final three spots, including powerhouses Portugal and Italy.
It's been a rollercoaster campaign to say the least, with 763 goals scored in 250 group matches: an average of three per game! Hundreds of players managed to get themselves on the scoresheet, but only a few managed to score hat-tricks.
In this list, we'll take a look at all 12 players who scored thrice in a single game for their respective national sides:
#12 Adam Buksa (Poland) vs San Marino
You'd normally expect Robert Lewandowski to be the Polish player on this particular list, but despite netting eight goals for his side, none of them came in the form of a hat-trick.
⚽️ 67'
⚽️ 90+2'
⚽️ 90+4'
🇵🇱 Adam Buksa has scored a hat-trick in only his second cap for Poland
Rising star. 💫 https://t.co/Dp5Q4hHAbx
That honor goes instead to Adam Buksa, who scored twice in stoppage-time to complete his treble against San Marino, as Poland thrashed the minnows 7-1 on the road in September.
#11 Ondrej Duda (Slovakia) vs Malta
Slovakia's wait for a first World Cup appearance since 2010 continued after the side finished third in Group H behind Croatia and Russia. However, they were at least able to cap off their campaign on a high.
The Falcons thrashed Malta 6-0 on the road on the final day, inspired by a hat-trick from Ondrej Duda; his first in national colors. He's also the first Slovakian player to net a treble since Filip Sebo in 2006, also against Malta.
#10 Tomas Soucek (Czech Republic) vs Estonia
The Czech Republic could only secure a third-place finish in Group E despite starting their campaign with a 6-2 drubbing of Estonia, a match which saw Tomas Soucek bag a hat-trick.
3 - Tomas Soucek netted a perfect hat-trick this evening in Czech Republic's 6-2 victory against Estonia and became the first Czech player to score 3+ goals in a World Cup qualifying match since Milan Baros netted four v San Marino in September 2009. Smiles. https://t.co/4YFT7Tmxav
It wasn't just an ordinary hat-trick either. The West Ham star scored a 'perfect hat-trick', becoming the first player to net thrice for his side in a competitive game since 2009.
#9 Enis Bardhi (North Macedonia) vs Armenia
Following their Euro debut earlier this year, North Macedonia continued their fairytale run on the international stage by qualifying for the World Cup play-offs.
🇲🇰 Enis Bardhi is the first North Macedonian to score a hat-trick in any qualifiers in the last 25 years.
⚽️⚽️⚽️ vs Armenia 🇦🇲
Talented 26-year old is a big player for his country. 💫 https://t.co/8JsFdw2rsy
North Macedonia scored an impressive 23 times in the campaign, with three players netting four goals each and Enis Bardhi striking a hat-trick in the 5-0 drubbing of Armenia.