Bayern Munich striker, Robert Lewandowski has made Champions League history after his team hampered Salzburg 7-1 in their last-16 second leg tie on Tuesday, Newspremises reports.
Lewandowski has become the first player to have scored an hat-trick in the opening 23 minutes of Champions League match.
It was however, said to be the earliest in a Champions League game that a player has registered a hat-trick, surpassing Marco Simone’s 24-minute treble for Milan against Rosenborg in 1996.
The Poland international put the Bavarian giants in front from the penalty spot in the 12th minute after drawing a foul from Maximilian Wober.
The 33-year-old sent a second spot-kick into the bottom-left corner in the 21st minute after another foul from Wober was upgraded from a free-kick to a penalty following a VAR review.
Lewandowski completed his hat-trick when he bundled home with his thigh after his block of goalkeeper Philipp Kohn’s clearance came back off the post.
It was Lewandowski’s fifth treble in the competition – only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi (both eight) have managed more.
