Fastest hat trick in Champions League history: Salah, Lewandowski with UEFA records

Kyle Bonn

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Fastest hat trick in Champions League history: Salah, Lewandowski with UEFA records image

Mohamed Salah and Robert Lewandowski are two of the top strikers in the European game today, and both can claim a piece of UEFA Champions League history.

With Bayern Munich in 2021/22, Lewandowski scored three goals in the first 23 minutes of a knockout-stage match against RB Salzburg, marking the fastest hat trick scored by any player in the competition from the start of the game. He broke the previous record held by Marco Simone of AC Milan, who needed until the 24th minute to secure his hat trick in a 1996 match against Norwegian side Rosenborg.

While nobody has since bested that mark, Salah carved out a piece of history for himself on October 12, 2022  —  coming off the bench to help Liverpool obliterate Rangers 7-1 in the 2022/23 group stage.

Salah entered the match in the 68th minute with Liverpool leading 3-1, and wasted no time getting the Reds further in the clear.

He scored his first in the 76th minute, and completed his hat trick just six minutes later, claiming the fastest trio of goals scored from first to last in Champions League history.

MORE: Champions League goalscoring records for career and single season

Mohamed Salah quickest hat trick in Champions League history

Salah secured his place in the record books with the fastest hat trick from the first goal to the third goal, as Liverpool provided a masterclass at Ibrox against Rangers.

His treble, which came with just six minutes and 12 seconds between the first and third goal, is the quickest in the competition's history, topping Bafetimbi Gomis, who scored his in eight minutes for Lyon against Dinamo Zagreb in 2011.

MORE: Full recap as Liverpool thrashes Rangers at Ibrox in Champions League behind Salah trio

Entering the match off the bench in the 68th minute, replacing an earlier goalscorer in Darwin Nunez, Salah exploded to life within eight minutes of entering the pitch.

He bagged his first in the 76th minute. The second goal slid into the back of the net on 80 minutes, and he scored the third just a minute later in the 81st.

Interestingly, all three goals were assisted by Diogo Jota, who himself came off the bench in the 73rd minute as Liverpool completed a second-half masterclass in the 7-1 win.

Lewandowski fastest hat trick in Champions League

While Salah's record is the quickest any player has netted three times in a single spell, Lewandowski is the player who holds the record for the fastest hat trick from the start of a match  —  completing the feat with 23 minutes on the clock for Bayern Munich in March, 2022.

With Bayern barely securing a 1-1 draw against RB Salzburg in the first leg of their 2021/22 Champions League Round of 16 matchup in Austria, the German giants needed a big home performance to secure passage into the quarterfinals of the competition.

The Polish superstar provided the goods at Allianz Arena.

Lewandowski opened the scoring in the 12th minute after earning a penalty and delivering from the spot. He was felled by Maximilian Wober while attempting to shoot — a clear and easy penalty decision for the referee.

The ensuing spot-kick from Lewandowski sent goalkeeper Philipp Kohn the wrong way with an emphatic finish to earn his 40th goal for Bayern this season across all competitions.

The second goal was deja-vu, as Wober again fouled Lewandowski for a second penalty, and the Polish striker delivered again.

To complete his hat trick, Lewandowski got one from open play, a weird and ugly goal from a horrific bit of defending by the Austrian opponents, who were done in by their own high line. Lewandowski clipped the ball over a challenge by right back Rasmus Kristensen, and was eventually fed through by teammate Thomas Muller to leave the Polish international through on net. He got by Kohn's last-ditch challenge on the deflection, and after the ball came off the post he was there to bungle it home off his thigh.

The hat trick was his fifth in the Champions League across a glittering career. The goals came just 12 minutes apart, equaling the feat he achieved against Red Star Belgrade in 2019, with both hat tricks at the time sitting as the joint-fifth quickest in Champions League history on time between the first and third goals.

The three tallies also made Lewandowski the top scorer in that year's competition with 12 goals across eight matches, passing Sebastien Haller of Ajax (11 goals).

Fastest hat tricks in Champions League history

With Lewandowski at the top, here is the list of the fastest hat tricks from the start of the match in UEFA Champions League history.

Rank Player Date Team Opponent Minutes
from start
1. Robert Lewandowski Mar. 8, 2022 Bayern Munich RB Salzburg 23 mins
2. Marco Simone Sept. 24, 1996 AC Milan Rosenborg 24 mins
3. Claudio Pizarro Nov. 7, 2012 Bayern Munich Lille 33 mins
  Rui Pedro Nov. 20, 2012 CFR Cluj Braga 33 mins

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn Photo

Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.