With a stunning hat-trick against Backa Topola in the Serbian Super Liga on Saturday, Osman Bukari, the Ghanaian forward, has climbed up to fifth in the top scorers’ chart.
His three goals in a span of 30 minutes sealed a 4-1 victory for Red Star Belgrade and secured the team’s 34th league trophy with six games to spare.
After going down 1-0 to a 20th-minute penalty by Backa Topola, Bukari scored the equalizer just before the break and then netted again 15 minutes into the second half to put his team ahead.
Bukari completed his hat-trick in the 75th minute after Guelor Kanga had made it 3-1 in the 69th minute.
With 11 goals in 25 matches, Bukari is now fifth in the top scorers’ ranking, trailing only Aleksandar Katai (17), Ricardo Gomes (15), Bibras Natcho (12), and Andrija Majdevac (12).
Not only is he the sole African to reach double figures in the top flight, but he has also contributed to six goals in his last five matches.