Cristiano Ronaldo fired Juventus into the Champions League quarter-finals with a stunning hat-trick against Ateltico Madrid – and equalled arch rival Lionel Messi’s haul of match balls.
Atletico started the game with a 2-0 lead from the first leg but two headed goals and a late penalty from the Portuguese put the seal on a remarkable comeback at Allianz Stadium.
Ronaldo has now netted eight Champions League hat-tricks, to draw level with Messi.
The Argentine last notched three goals in a European game during Barcelona’s 4-0 group stage win over PSV Eindhoven in September. He will have an opportunity to go back above Ronaldo when Lyon visit the Nou Camp on Wednesday night.
Messi and Ronaldo might be neck-and-neck in terms of hat-tricks but it is the Portuguese forward who leads the way in almost every other category.
Ronaldo has scored more Champions League goals than anyone else in the competition’s history. His haul of 124 is 18 more than Messi has managed.
He also became the first player to score 100 Champions League goals for a single club when he opened the scoring for Real Madrid against Paris Saint-Germain in February, 2018.
Following Tuesday night, Ronaldo has netted more than 60 knockout goals in the competition – more than anyone else.
The Portuguese forward is also the only player to score in 11 consecutive appearances in the competition proper while no one else has been on the scoresheet in three Champions League finals.