Latvian international Vladislavs Gutkovskis produced a sensational performance on Saturday, scoring a hat-trick and providing an assist as Arka Gdynia cruised to a 4-0 home victory over Stal Rzeszow in the Polish I Liga.
The 31-year-old, who registered an assist in Arka’s opening-round win over Odra Opole last week, captained the side and opened his scoring account for the season in the 25th minute. After the goalkeeper parried an effort, Gutkovskis reacted quickest to the rebound and tapped the ball into the net.
The Latvian took over after the break. Just four minutes into the second half, he doubled his tally by turning a cross into the net from close range before adding an assist in the 59th minute. Attempting to connect with a cross, Gutkovskis missed the ball, but it rolled perfectly into the path of Michal Milewski, who fired home to make it 3-0.
Gutkovskis then completed his hat-trick in style. Picking up the ball in midfield with space ahead of him and no passing options, he drove forward before unleashing a superb strike from around 23 metres into the back of the net to seal a 4-0 victory.
It was the Latvian’s first hat-trick since 5 November 2022, when he scored four first-half goals for Rakow Czestochowa in a 7-1 Ekstraklasa victory over Wisla Płock.
Gutkovskis was substituted in the 71st minute after playing a decisive role in all four of Arka’s goals. After two league matches this season, he has already recorded three goals and two assists, while Arka have opened the campaign with back-to-back victories and consecutive clean sheets.
Arka Gdynia will return to action on Monday, 10 August, when they travel to face Skierniewice.
Source: https://www.1liga.org/
