“It was very important to come here and win the game. We were at a good level in the first half and even though we didn’t play as well in the second, we got the job done,” said Ouahim. 

“As an attacking player, scoring goals is important, and getting a hat-trick is something very special. It’s obviously a very nice day for me. I’m very proud of this performance. It was crucial to come here and take the next step.”

Victory marked a crucial turnaround for Sydney FC, who had suffered consecutive defeats on Matchdays Three and Four. 

"Our first-half performance was very good, and the game was essentially decided with the goals we scored,” said head coach Ufuk Talay. “However, we made life difficult for ourselves in the second half with some of the decisions we made on the ball. But overall, it was a game we needed to win, and the players did well to secure the victory.

“We want to go all the way. It’s very important that we continue to push hard in the AFC Champions League Two."

Roberto Losada was left to reflect on an eight-goal divide between Eastern and Sydney, after the reverse fixture finished 5-0.

“There is a big gap between the teams,” said the Eastern head coach. “Some people ask me if we can play at this level. We can’t, we can try to be competitive at this level, but we can’t play at it. In moments, we played well, but Sydney are very strong, and players like Ouahim are on another level.”

Sydney face Philippines side Kaya FC-Iloilo on Thursday, while Eastern take on Sanfrecce Hiroshima of Japan.