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Dzenan Pejcinovic’s Bundesliga scoring debut this weekend could have hardly gone better. The 20-year-old’s very first goal in the German top flight was quickly followed up by two more. Pejcinovic was able to commemorate not only his first Bundesliga goal, but his first hat trick as well. Unfortunately, Pejcinovic’s three goals were not enough as his team Wolfsburg still dropped a home fixture 3-4 to SC Freiburg.
Pecjinovic spoke of “tough feelings” afterwards, noting that he “wanted to celebrate“, but that he found it impossible to remain happy as his team “blew the lead twice“. Pejcinovic added that no one wished to bring bag the three points as much as him. The Germany U21 international told reporters in the mixed zone that it simply “hurt too much“.
Has this happened to other Bundesliga players?
Quite often. As it turns out, Pecjinovic is in very good company. Bundesliga scoring legends such as Gerd Müller, Klaus Fischer, and Horst Hrubesch were so prolific that it was only a matter of due course that they would score hat tricks in losing efforts. It also happened to Son-Heung Min (playing for Bayer Leverkusen, interestingly enough, against Wolfsburg) and Erling Haaland (playing for Borussia Dortmund against VfL Bochum) before they left Germany.
The most recent case of this happening wasn’t even that long ago. It wasn’t even two years ago that Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Robin Hack scored a hat trick during a 4-3 away defeat against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on matchday 30 of the 2023/24 Bundesliga campaign. In the most egregious case ever, Eintracht Frankfurt striker and Ghanaian legend Anthony Yeboah scored four goals against Uerdingen in a match his club had to forfeit due to a substitution error.
Is Dzenan Pejcinovic a talent on par with others?
Pejcinovic turned in an especially good training camp this summer and also scored a hat trick in Wolfsburg’s opening round Pokal victory over SV Hemelingen. It appeared as if, having done reasonably well out on loan with Fortuna Düsseldorf in the 2. Bundesliga last season, Pejcinovic was ready for the German top flight. The Munich native even did well with the Germany U21 squad over the September break and was recognized by GGFN as one of the best performers.
Unfortunately, Pejcinovic simply wasn’t able to open his Bundesliga account. After starting the first two league fixtures of the season, Pejcinovic had to wait until matchday six for his next turn in the starting XI. He performed so poorly against Augsburg that he was yanked at the half. In his next start against Bayer Leverkusen on matchday 11, he lasted only 60 minutes due to being wholly ineffective.
Were it not for the fact that Mohamed Amoura had to report for Algerian international duty ahead of the current Africa Cup of Nations, Pejcinovic wouldn’t have been in the Wolfsburg starting XI at all this weekend. Commenting on what has been a frustrating debut Bundesliga campaign, the youngster shockingly revealed that he had been speaking to another former Wolfsburg striker who is currently on AFCON duty.
Pejcinovic’s conversation with Victor Osimhen
Like Pejcinovic, Victor Nigerian international Victor Osimhen also had trouble breaking through at Wolfsburg and was loaned out by Germany’s green company team before eventually being sold. Wolfsburg offloaded Osimhen (now a €75m-valued player) for €3.5m to Belgian outfit Charleroi back in 2019. Pejcinovic noted that he and the 26-year-old have “mutual friends“.
“I had a conversation with Victor Osimhen a few days before the game,” Pejcinovic revealed. “He also had a difficult year at Wolfsburg and told me that, as a striker, the most important thing is that you maintain belief in yourself.“
