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regular-article-logo Friday, 06 December 2024

Robert Lewandowski Joins Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in Champions League Century Club

Still, Haaland's brace wasn't enough for Manchester City in a 3-3 draw with Feyenoord that extended the Premier League champion's winless streak to six matches

AP/PTI Barcelona Published 28.11.24, 10:27 AM
Robert Lewandowski (right) scores his second and Barcelona's third goal in the Champions League match against Brest at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Barcelona on Tuesday.

Robert Lewandowski (right) scores his second and Barcelona's third goal in the Champions League match against Brest at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Barcelona on Tuesday. Reuters

Robert Lewandowski joined Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the only players in Champions League history with 100 or more goals. But Erling Haaland is on a faster pace than anyone by boosting his total to 46 goals at age 24 on Tuesday.

Still, Haaland's brace wasn't enough for Manchester City in a 3-3 draw with Feyenoord that extended the Premier League champion's winless streak to six matches.

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Lewandowski's early penalty kick started Barcelona off to a 3-0 win over previously unbeaten Brest to move into second place in the new single-league format. The Poland striker added goal No. 101 in second-half stoppage time.

Ronaldo leads the all-time scoring list with 140 goals and Messi is next with 129. But neither Ronaldo nor Messi plays in the Champions League anymore following moves to Saudi Arabia and the United States respectively.

"It's a nice number," Lewandowski said.

"In the past I didn't think I could score more than 100 goals in the Champions League. I'm in good company alongside Cristiano and Messi."

The 36-year-old Lewandowski required 125 matches to reach the century mark, two more than Messi (123) and 12 fewer than Ronaldo (137).

Barcelona also got a second-half score from Dani Olmo.

"Lewandowski is great, I'm delighted with his goals. I think Lewandowski knows he has to score and he is in the position to do it, but the important thing is what the team generates," manager Hansi Flick said.

"Obviously, he knows he has to score and he plays for it, but what this team does is just wonderful."

Haaland converted a first-half penalty to eclipse Messi as the youngest player to reach 45 goals and then scored City's third after the break to raise his total to 46 goals in 44 games.

Ilkay Gundogan had City's second.

But then Feyenoord struck back with goals from Anis Hadj Moussa, Santiago Gimenez and David Hancko.

Inter Milan beat Leipzig 1-0 with an own goal to move atop the standings with 13 points. The Serie A champions are the only team who have not conceded a goal.

Bayern Munich beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 — the same score from the 2020 final between the two teams. PSG ended with 10 men and remained in the elimination zone. The French giants have struggled in Europe after Kylian Mbappe's move to Real Madrid.

Kim Min-jae's first-half header was enough for Bayern, especially after Ousmane Dembele was sent off in the 56th with his second yellow.

Atalanta moved within two points of the lead with a 6-1 win at Young Boys. Charles De Ketelaere scored two and assisted on three other goals for Atalanta.

Also, Germany star Florian Wirtz scored two goals and was involved in two more as Bayer Leverkusen boosted their chances of finishing in the top-eight with a 5-0 rout of Salzburg.

AC Milan followed up their win at Real Madrid with a 3-2 victory at last-places Slovan Bratislava in an early match.

Christian Pulisic put the seven-time champions ahead midway through the first half by finishing off a counterattack. Then Rafael Leao restored the Rossoneri's advantage after Tigran Barseghyan had equalised for Bratislava and Tammy Abraham quickly added another.

Nino Marcelli scored with a long-range strike in the 88th for Bratislava, which ended with 10 men.

Argentina World Cup winner Julian Alvarez scored twice and Atletico Madrid routed Sparta Prague 6-0 in the other early game.

Alvarez scored in the 15th minute and Marcos Llorente added a long-range strike before the break.

Alvarez finished off a counterattack early in the second half after being set up by substitute Antoine Griezmann, who then marked his 100th Champions League game by getting on the scoresheet himself. Angel Correa added a late brace for Atletico.

Odegaard effect

The goals are flying in again for Arsenal — and it just happens to coincide with the return from injury of Martin Odegaard.

Make that eight goals in two games since the international break for Arsenal after their 5-1 hammering of Sporting Lisbon, tying the English team's biggest-ever away win in the competition.

Odegaard is back in Arsenal's team after missing two months with an ankle injury. Since then, Arsenal have not lost and the goals have returned.

“He's an unbelievable player,” Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka said of Odegaard.

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