Claudiu Keșerü's six-goal Steaua marvel

A diving header, a chipped penalty and a coolly-finished one-on-one in the first-half; a sweet curling shot, a straightforward short-range blast and a cheeky finish from distance with the keeper off his line in the second. Claudiu Keşerü achieved a club first on Friday night as he scored all six goals in FC Steaua Bucureşti's 6-0 win against CS Pandurii Târgu Jiu.

"Honestly speaking, I don't know how that happened — it is hard to take it in," said the 27-year-old after the match. "I didn't expect to achieve this, and I have to thank my team-mates for their excellent assists. I have never scored so many goals in one match at senior level — only during my youth career. When I was playing in the French second division, I scored four goals in one match, but never anything like this."

Keşerü broke the Steaua record of five goals in a single game set by his current coach Constantin Gâlcă, who hit all five in a 5-0 success against FC Brașov 20 years ago. That six-goal salvo was — perhaps remarkably — not a first in Romanian football. On 9 June 1993, Marian Popa scored all six goals as FC Farul Constanța won 6-3 against FC Oțelul Galați (like Keşeru, his haul comprised five from open play and a penalty).

Former FC Nantes, SCO Angers and SC Bastia striker Keşerü will look to carry his goalscoring form into Steaua's UEFA Champions League play-off against FC Ludogorets Razgrad, and his achievements may be a useful reminder for Romania coach Victor Piţurcă. Keşerü scored on his international debut last year, and could be in line for more action in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying, where Romania take on Greece, Hungary, Finland, Northern Ireland and the Faroe Islands in Group F.

In the meantime, he is just digesting the consequences of perhaps the most famous and peculiar night of his career. "I didn't have anything to prove, but if anyone had any doubts about me, I have shown what I am capable of," he noted.