Shakhtar Donetsk forward Luiz Adriano isn’t as good as Lionel Messi, but you’d be forgiven for thinking he was the Argentine’s equal Tuesday.
Adriano scored five goals in Shakhtar’s 7-0 win over host Bate Borisov in the UEFA Champions League, tying Messi’s record for the most tallies in a game in European soccer’s elite club competition.
Adriano started his scoring spree in the 28th minute when he scored from the penalty spot. Adriano then added a hat trick to his ledger in a breathtaking seven-minute spell that started in the 37th minute.
Adriano set a new Champions League record before halftime.
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In the 82nd minute, the Brazilian joined Messi in the competition’s annals when he converted his second penalty kick of the game.
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Messi set the record in March 2012 when he scored five in Barcelona’s 7-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen.
Messi has plenty of records of his own, so he probably doesn’t mind sharing this one with Adriano.
Lionel Messi scores record five goals in Champions League game >>
Thumbnail photo by Sergei Grits/The Associated Press
