Chuba Akpom was the star of the show on Thursday evening, as he bagged a sensational hat-trick to propel AFC Ajax to a dominant victory in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League Playoff tie against Jagiellonia.

Akpom kicked off the scoring spree early in the game and followed it up with a solid brace in the second half, inspiring the Eredivisie giants to a 4-1 away win over their Polish opponents, Footballrover reports.

The Ajax squad, led by Akpom’s brilliance, displayed why they are the superior side all the way from the Netherlands to Poland, coming from behind to secure a commanding advantage heading into the second leg.

The match, held at the Stadion Miejski, turned into a nightmare for the home fans, as the Nigerian forward made it his personal mission to turn the tide.

Akpom’s goal-scoring rush began just ten minutes into the game, five minutes after Adrian Dieguez Grande had given the hosts a brief lead.

Belgian forward Mika Godts made sure Ajax entered the halftime break with the upper hand before Akpom took matters into his own hands, delivering a brilliant double in the second half.

His second goal of the night came 16 minutes after the restart, extending Ajax’s lead to 3-1.

He then capped off his spectacular performance with a coolly converted penalty eight minutes later, sealing a comfortable victory for the visitors.

Despite his MOTM performance, Akpom was subbed off in the 72nd minute, with Brian Brobbey stepping in to take his place.

Ajax were, however, awarded with another penalty seven minutes later, but this time, Mika Godts fluffed his chance, missing the opportunity to make it 5-1.

Up & away ❌❌❌ pic.twitter.com/kuHo6L0xWX

— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) August 22, 2024

With such a commanding lead and sky-high confidence, Ajax will return to the Johan Cruijff Arena next Thursday for the second leg, where they’ll have little left to prove.

Akpom’s masterclass has already made sure of that.

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