Ronaldo equals Messi's Champions League hat-trick record
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his eighth Champions League hat-trick as Juventus eliminated Atletico Madrid.
Published : Mar 13, 2019 07:46 IST
Cristiano Ronaldo equalled Lionel Messi's Champions League record after scoring his eighth hat-trick in the competition.
Ronaldo moved level with Barcelona foe Messi following his three-goal haul in Turin, where Juventus completed a stunning comeback to eliminate Atletico Madrid 3-2 on aggregate en route to the quarterfinals.
Messi had broken the tie with Ronaldo during Barca's 4-0 rout of PSV in September but the Juventus star equalled the feat on Tuesday.
Juve lost the opening leg of the last-16 tie against Atletico in Madrid but five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo led the Italian champion to the quarters following its 3-0 victory.
Ronaldo set the tone with his 27th-minute opener before heading past Jan Oblak again four minutes into the second half.
The 34-year-old then completed the fightback from the penalty spot with four minutes remaining – taking his goals tally in the Champions League to 124 in 160 appearances.