In a thrilling Champions League encounter in Lisbon, Benfica’s forward Vangelis Pavlidis made headlines by netting a remarkable hat trick, achieving one of the fastest records in the tournament’s history. The Greek striker found the back of the net just two minutes after kickoff, followed by two more goals at the 22nd and 30th minutes. Despite Pavlidis’s impressive performance, Benfica ultimately fell short, losing the match to Barcelona with a final score of 5-4.

Statistics from OptaJoe indicate that Pavlidis’s achievement ranks as the third-fastest hat trick recorded at the beginning of a Champions League match. The record for the fastest hat trick remains with Robert Lewandowski, who struck three times in just 23 minutes while playing for Barcelona in 2022. Another remarkable performance was delivered by Marco Simone, who completed his hat trick in 24 minutes back in 1996.

In this intense match, Lewandowski also made his mark by scoring two penalties, bringing his Champions League total to 102 and 103. UEFA confirms that Lewandowski shares a unique distinction with Cristiano Ronaldo, as both players have scored an impressive number of penalties in Champions League history.