Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema scored in a 15 th consecutive Champions League campaign and 18 – year-old Rodrygo netted a hat-trick as they beat Galatasaray.
Benzema, 31, became only the second player – after Barcelona’s Lionel Messi – to achieve the feat when he turned in from Rodrygo on the verge of half-time.
That put Real 4-0 up after Rodrygo’s early brace and Sergio Ramos’ penalty.
The youngster completed his treble late on after Benzema’s second , as Real claimed a second straight Group A win.
The Turkish visitors’ defeat ensured they will exit the competition in the group stage, while the Spanish side are second in the group, two points away from qualification.
The 13 – times European champions were coasting for much of Wednesday’s game and took control immediately as Rodrygo became the first player to score twice inside the first seven minutes of a Champions League game.
The Brazilian forward was making only his sixth appearance for Real and his second in the Champions League and poked in to add his third in stoppage time.
Despite starting their campaign with a 3-0 loss at Paris St-Germain and a home at draw to Club Bruges, the Spanish giants are now closing in on the last 16, five points clear of third-placed Bruges with two games to go.
Benzema’s record-equalling 15 – year streak
French striker Benzema’s first Champions League goal came at the age of 17, when he scored for Lyon against Rosenborg on 6 December, 2005.
That was his only goal of that European campaign, and he netted just once in Europe the following term too and just once in 2009 – 10, after his £ 25 m move to Real in 2009.
In his 15 Champions League seasons he has scored 62 times so far, averaging more than four a season.
He has never been the top scorer in a Champions League season, but is fourth on the competition’s all-time goalscoring list, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi and Raul.
The Frenchman scored against Liverpool in the final in 2018 and helped his side win four Europea n titles between that year and 2014.
Messi became the first player to score in 15 straight Champions League seasons just two weeks before Benzema.
The Argentine set the record in anarrow win at Slavia Pragueon (October.
Match stats – only Raul eclipses Rodrygo
- Real Madrid’s Rodrygo became the second youngest player to score a Champions League hat-trick (18 years and 301 days), after Raul against Ferencvaros in October 1995 ( (Y) d)
- Rodrygo also became the youngest Brazilian to score in the Champions League (18 Y 301 d), overtaking Paris St-Germain’s Marquinhos ( (y) d)
- Benzema scored his 50 th goal for Real Madrid in the Champions League, the fourth player to do so for a single side after Lionel Messi ( (for Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo 105 for Real Madrid (and Raul) 66 for Real Madrid.
- This was the second time Galatasaray conceded at least six goals in a Champions League match, also doing so against Real Madrid back in September 2013 at home.
(Only Ryan Giggs) 16) has scored in more different Champions League campaigns than Karim Benzema (15), although Benzema’s have come in consecutive seasons
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