MANCHESTER United hero Marcus Rashford has overtaken PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe to break a Champions League record after last night’s sterling display.
The striker hit a stunning hat-trick in only 27 minutes on the pitch after coming on as a sub to help down RB Leipzig in a 5-0 rout.
Rashford was all smiles last night as his hard work on and off the pitch came to fruition. Credit: EPA
In the process, the 22-year-old – who has caught the public’s attention off the pitch with his efforts to defeat child food poverty – stormed past Mbappe to nick a new Champions League record.
Rashford’s trio of strikes makes him just the fifth person in Champions League history to come off the bench and hit three goals.
Most incredibly, his 27 minute spell was the shortest time on the pitch that anybody had managed to achieve the feat in.
This includes the world-class talent Mbappe, who spent 38 minutes on the pitch after being subbed on as he smashed three past Club Brugge in October 2019.
Next on the list on the list is Walter Pandiani, who was on the pitch for 44 minutes for Deportivo in 2001, and then Joseba Llorente who was playing for 45 minutes Villarreal in 2008
Ex-Brentford and Leeds manager Uwe Rosler is now in fifth having netted three in 52 minutes after coming off the bench for Kaiserslautern in 1998.
Rashford may have even hit his treble sooner had he not gave up a penalty while on two goals so his team-mate Anthony Martial could end his nine-game goal drought.
The substitute was on fire last night and Julian Nagelsmann’s Leipzig could not contain him.
Rashford tops the quickest Champions hat-trick list, piping Kylian Mbappe to first place
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been full of praise for his star striker Credit: Kevin Quigley-The Daily Mail
The highly-rated Dayot Upamecano – who has been linked to the Red Devils and their injury-hit foes Liverpool – had a nightmare after Rashford came on for Mason Greenwood, who slotted home the opening goal of the evening.
Rashford beat Upamecano for his second goal, bursting past the French defender before finding the bottom corner.
This was only minutes after Bruno Fernandes found him with a beautiful pass which left Rashford to run half the length of the field before slotting home.
He completed his collection in stoppage time with another well-taken goal.
It all made for a enjoyable night for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and felt worlds away from the 6-1 defeat to Spurs less than a month ago.
As for Rashford, the hat-trick was only one reason to celebrate last night after his petition to get kids free school meals during the half-term holiday hit one million signatures just before kick off.
His campaign to eradicate child hunger took off during the summer when he forced the Government into a U-turn to provide disadvantaged children with food.
Rio Ferdinand compares Marcus Rashford’s performance to an older kid bullying younger kids and “taking their dinner money”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
