Red Star's debut in Europe in the new season was marked by Osman Bukari as his side easily defeated Armenian club Pyunik 5-0 at home in the first leg of their qualifying tie.

The diminutive midfielder from Ghana scored a hat-trick, registered one assist, and had one goal disallowed.

Bukari is the name that every Red Star fan remembered on Wednesday night, including those who saw the newcomer from Gent in action for the first time.

The Ghanaian has now scored five goals in five games for Red Star Belgrade in all competitions since joining the club.

He becomes only the third player in the 21st century to score three goals in a European match for Serbian champions.

The 23-year-old Ghanaian winger joins an elite company of Serbian striker Dejan Lekić and Comoros' El Fardou Ben.

The hat-tricks of Leki, Ben, and Bukari all happened at Rajko Mitic Stadium, also known as Marakana, and Zvezda hit the opponent's net five times in those three games.

Dejan Leki scored the first European hat-trick for the red and whites in this century on August 6, 2009, when he scored three goals and one own goal in the legendary match against Dinamo Tbilisi.

Red Star waited 11 years for a new European hat-trick, which came on August 18, 2020, when EL scored three goals in a 5-0 victory over Gibraltar's FC Europa in the first round of Champions League qualifying.