Depu joins hat-trick list as three top flight sides exit Cup
Tanzanian referee Elly Sasii (right) hands the match ball to Laurindo Dilson Aurélio of Young Africans (Yanga). after the striker scored a hat-trick in the CRDB Federation Cup match against Polisi Tanzania at the KMC Complex Stadium on Sunday night. Yanga won 7–1. PHOTO | COURTESY
The winner of the CRDB Federation Cup represents Tanzania in the CAF Confederation Cup
Dar es Salaam. Four hat-tricks have already been recorded in the ongoing CRDB Federation Cup, which has now reached the Round of 16 stage.
The latest came from Laurindo Dilson Aurélio, popularly known as Depu, who scored three goals for Young Africans S.C. in their emphatic 7–1 victory over Polisi Tanzania at the KMC Complex Stadium on Sunday night.
Depu’s hat-trick adds to a growing list of treble scorers in the domestic knockout competition this season.
Earlier, Jacob Massawe of Namungo FC netted three goals against Kagera Sugar in the Round of 32, leading his team to a 4–1 victory.
Another hat-trick was scored by Paul Peter of JKT Tanzania, who achieved the feat during the Round of 64 against Pan Africans.
Interestingly, all the players who have scored hat-tricks in the tournament represent clubs competing in the NBC Premier League.
However, the situation in the league itself tells a completely different story.
Despite 117 matches having already been played this season, not a single player has managed to score a hat-trick in the top-flight competition.
This contrasts sharply with last season. By the time the league had reached the same number of matches (117), one hat-trick had already been recorded, and by the end of the campaign a total of four were registered.
The first hat-trick of the 2024–2025 season was scored by Prince Dube of Young Africans in a league match against Mashujaa FC on December 19, when the defending champions secured a narrow 3–2 victory.
Meanwhile, the Federation Cup has also seen several top-flight teams bow out of the competition earlier than expected.
Three clubs from the NBC Premier League have already been eliminated from the tournament.
Mtibwa Sugar and Tanzania Prisons were knocked out in the latest round, joining KMC FC, who had been eliminated earlier in the competition.
Their exits underline the unpredictable nature of the knockout tournament, where lower-division teams often rise to challenge more established sides.
With the competition now heading into the Round of 16, attention will not only be on which team progresses further but also on whether more players can join the growing list of hat-trick heroes.
