Earlier today at the Bernabéu, Federico Valverde put on a masterclass by scoring a first half hat-trick against Manchester City. First half hat-tricks are rare. In knockout rounds they’re even rarer, with fewer than ten ever recorded in the competition based upon my research.
In honor of that achievement, here are some other major hat-trick accomplishments from the Champions League.
Fastest First Half Hat-Trick from Kickoff
Robert Lewandowski struck three before the 24th minute back in 2022 against Red Bull Salzburg. Interestingly, this was also a knockout match hat-trick, meaning he pips Valverde on the timing and importance. Of course, two of the goals were penalties, which is kinda cheap.
A Perfect First-Half Hat-Trick
Norwegian goal-bot Erling Haaland netted a perfect hat-trick in the Champions League in a 2023 knockout round match against Red Bull Leipzig. He scored from the spot with his left, headed one in two minutes later and poked home the third on the right foot right before halftime. He would score two more in the second to bring his total to five, only one of three players to hit that mark.
Fastest Four First Half Goals
Luiz Adriano not only has the only known four-goal effort in a first half, it’s also the quickest between first and last goals at 16m30s. This was part of Shaktar Donesk’s 7-1 embarrassment of Bulgarian side BATE Borisov back in 2014 group stage.
Fastest Ever Hat-Trick (Between First and Third Goals)
It only took Mohamed Salah 6m12s to score three against Rangers back in the 2022 group stage. The feat occurred when Liverpool were already up 3-1, and all were scored in the second half.
Second Fastest Ever Hat-Trick (Between First and Third Goals)
Valverde’s teammate Kylian Mbappé put a world of hurt upon Olympiacos back in November of last year, striking a hat-trick in just under seven minutes between the 22nd and 29th minutes. This put them up 3-1, and they would go on to win 4-3.
