El Hamdaoui hat-trick on debut

Mounir El Hamdaoui enjoyed a dream debut for Malaga by scoring a hat-trick in a five-goal rout of Rayo Vallecano.

Mounir El Hamdaoui enjoyed a dream debut for Malaga by scoring a hat-trick in a five-goal rout of Rayo Vallecano. The Morocco international, who joined the Andalusians on loan from Fiorentina over the summer, opened the scoring just after the half-hour, then added two goals in the second half. Francisco Portillo and Eliseu Pereira were also on target as Bernd Schuster earned his first win as Malaga coach. Rayo, meanwhile, suffered their second 5-0 defeat in three games and have now lost in three successive matches. Malaga had Rayo on the back foot immediately, with goalkeeper Ruben Martinez forced to make a smart save after just three minutes to keep out a cross-shot from Pedro Morales. A minute later, Malaga centre-back Marcos Angeleri headed another cross from Morales over the bar, before Eliseu sent a free-kick just wide. Morales then had a shot of his own at goal, which was comfortable for Ruben to push away. Rayo slowly found their feet and started creating chances. The best fell to striker Joaquin Larrivey, who slid in to meet a low cross from Roberto Trashorras but was unable to hit the target from close range. Just when the visitors looked in control, they conceded. A long ball from Angeleri found its way to Antunes, who reached byline and put in a deep cross towards the far post for Hamdaoui to volley into the top corner from six yards out. Malaga pounced again before the break, Morales this time playing El Hamdaoui in on the left side of the box, and the striker squared to Portillo who could not miss. Malaga extended their lead four minutes after the break, Eliseu rounding off a move between Portillo and Sergi Darder by turning Rayo full-back Tito on the edge of the box and then curling a right-footed shot into the far corner. El Hamdaoui scored his second goal of the game when arriving in the six-yard-box to slot home a cross from Morales, and the 29-year-old completed his treble five minutes later, this time beating three Rayo defenders with one deft turn and firing past Ruben at his near post.