The group stage of the UEFA Champions League is almost over. The top two teams from each table will enter the knockout stage which is set to take place in February and March 2021, with the final slated for 29 May at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey.
Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud has become the oldest player to score a Champions League hat-trick, after netting four goals against La Liga side Sevilla.
The 34-year-old French national put his name in the history books after being given a rare start by Frank Lampard.
It took Giroud just eight minutes to find the back of the net after some incisive build-up play from Kai Havertz. He scored his second goal via a chip in the 55th minute after a Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic link up created a chance for him.
The former Arsenal man completed the historic hat-trick in the 75th minute as he got on the end of a cross from midfielder N’Golo Kante.
Giroud didn’t stop there going on to score his fourth goal of the night with just 6 minutes left in the match.
The star of the night was subbed after scoring his fourth goal.
While the Frenchman became the oldest to score a hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League, Ferenc Puskas had bagged three goals in the European Cup at the age of 38 years and 173 days in 1965.
The Chelsea striker is now the second French national to score two Champions League hat-tricks, with only Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema being the other one to do so.
Chelsea’s current coach Lampard was the last player to score four goals in a single game for the Blues. He achieved that feat against Aston Villa in March 2010.
Giroud has struggled for regular game time at Stamford Bridge this season and recently hinted that a move away in January could be in the cards.
Chelsea’s big win against the La Liga side has granted them a top spot in Group E with one game to play. They have managed to win 4 out of their 5 matches so far while sharing points in one.
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