Former West Bromwich Albion record signing Brown Ideye picked up from where he left up last season in the league by scoring a hattrick for Olympiakos to help them beat Veria 5-1, in their first league game.
He ended last season with a goal against Kalloni, which took his tally for the season to 10 and, this time around he needed just 25 minutes to open his season account before grabbing his brace in the 61st minute.
Just when it appears the game was going to end 5-1, Ideye punished Veria further with his third of the game, to claim the match ball in a routine win for the champions.
The hattrick is his first since moving to Europe in 2008, between which he has had spells in Switzerland, France, Ukraine and England before his move to Greece last summer.
Ideye was in fine form during the Super Eagles training ahead of their game against Tanzania last weekend, but he was surprisingly left on the bench until the final 15 minutes of the tie before he was introduced.
