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Josh Maja has begun the new season at West Bromwich Albion in style, netting a hat-trick to power the Baggies to a 3-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers in their English Championship opener on Saturday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The one-cap Super Eagles striker opened his account in the 26th minute, cancelling out QPR’s early lead through Lucas Andersen. He then struck twice more in the second half, finding the net in the 51st and 65th minutes to seal the win for Carlos Corberán’s side.
West Brom manager Corberán heaped praise on the 25-year-old, saying: “Today, Josh Maja has had a very good level of impact on the game because it is not easy to score three goals, and all three had a lot of quality.”
The Spanish tactician, however, cautioned that Maja’s playing time would need careful management after a season of limited action. “We have to manage his minutes well,” Corberán added.
Meanwhile, Nigeria international defender Semi Ajayi featured for the entire 90 minutes as West Brom secured their first three points of the new campaign.
In Scotland, Cyriel Dessers continued his rich vein of form, finding the back of the net for the second consecutive match as Rangers edged Motherwell 2-1 in their William Hill Premiership clash at Hampden Park.
The Nigeria striker, who equalised late against Dynamo Kyiv in a midweek Champions League qualifier, opened the scoring for the Light Blues in the 13th minute.
Despite a Motherwell equaliser four minutes later, Rangers secured the win through Vaclav Cerny’s 24th-minute strike.
The victory marks a positive start to Rangers’ temporary tenure at Hampden Park, where they will play their next four home games due to ongoing renovations at Ibrox Stadium.
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