Kylian Mbappé delivered a sensational four-goal performance on Wednesday, recording the first quadruple of his Champions League career and producing the second-fastest hat trick ever seen in the tournament.
The French forward struck three times within a span of just under seven minutes to guide Real Madrid to a 4-3 victory over Olympiakos. “I’m really pleased with the goals. It’s always a joy,” Mbappé said, crediting his teammates for consistently providing him with quality service.
Chiquinho opened the scoring for Olympiakos in the eighth minute before Mbappé responded with goals in the 22nd, 24th and 29th minutes. After Mehdi Taremi pulled one back for the Greek side in the 52nd, Mbappé netted his fourth of the night in the 60th minute. Ayoub El Kaabi later added a third for Olympiakos in the 81st.
Mohamed Salah’s rapid treble for Liverpool against Rangers in 2022 remains the quickest in Champions League history, taking 6 minutes and 12 seconds after coming on as a substitute, according to UEFA.
This latest feat marked Mbappé’s fifth Champions League hat trick — and his second of the current campaign after a trio against Kairat earlier in the league phase. Two of his previous hat tricks came during his time with Paris Saint-Germain. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo share the all-time record with eight apiece, while Robert Lewandowski has six.
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Mbappé now sits atop the Champions League scoring chart with nine goals, three ahead of Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen. He has already set a personal best for goals in a single Champions League season and has 22 goals in 18 games for Madrid across competitions.
“His finishing is vital, but it’s also the character, the work rate, the connection he brings to the team,” coach Xabi Alonso said.
The victory snapped Madrid’s three-match winless run and lifted the club to fifth place in the Champions League league-phase standings. “Winning again was essential,” Mbappé said. “Three games without a win is far too many for us. We had to take three points to stay inside the top eight — that’s our focus now.”
Source: AP