The previous week in European football saw multiple milestones in European football, with Manchester City’s star Erling Haaland schooling newly-promoted Ipswich Town in the Premier League while Endrick scored on his home debut for Real Madrid, against Real Valladolid on Sunday.
Sportstar looks at top five major events in European football in the week that finished, between August 19 to 25:
The ‘H’ in Haaland stands for hat-trick!
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland continued his scoring start to the new Premier League season with a hat-trick in the 4-1 win over Ipswich Town on Saturday.
The 24-year-old Norwegian also has 10 hat-tricks in all competitions since his move to the Etihad Stadium. He also has 22 career hat-tricks across his time at Molde, RB Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund, City and his national team.
Former City striker Sergio Aguero tops the charts with 12 in 275 matches (23 matches per hat-trick). Haaland is currently ranked joint-seventh on the list with Wayne Rooney. His next treble will take him level with Thierry Henry, Harry Kane and Michel Owen.
Cometh hour, cometh Lewandowski
Lewandowski had netted a brace of goals in Barcelona’s 2-1 win at Valencia in last week’s Spanish league opener. Against Athletic Bilbao, he continued to be the difference as he struck the winner in another 2-1 victory.
Yamal opened the scoring before Lewandowski provided the second goal to give Barcelona two wins in two games to start the Spanish league season.
The Barcelona teenager struck in the 24th minute with a curling shot that was reminiscent of Lionel Messi’s favourite moves. Yamal controlled a deflected ball, took two touches to skirt along the edge of the box before he found the angle to unleash a left-footed shot. The ball found the net after a deflection on Athletic player Íñigo Lekue.
Muller sets record for Bayern
German veteran Thomas Muller set a Bayern Munich club record for Bundesliga appearances., making his 474th league appearance for Bayern on Sunday, going on as a substitute in the second half of Bayern’s 3-2 win at Wolfsburg.
He was involved straight away as Bayern equalised through an own goal, then helped in the build-up as Serge Gnabry scored a late winner.
Muller had previously shared the club record of 473 with goalkeeping great Sepp Maier.
Muller, who retired from international football after the European Championship, joined Bayern in 2000 at the age of 10. He made his Bundesliga debut under coach Jürgen Klinsmann as a late substitute for Miroslav Klose on the first day of the 2008-09 season in a 2-2 draw at home to Hamburger SV.
Müller also holds the record for the most Bundesliga titles – no other player has won 12.
Endrick scores for Real Madrid on Santiago Bernabeu debut
Kylian Mbappe ended his Santiago Bernabeu debut without a goal while young prodigy Endrick scored on the same as Spanish champion Real Madrid earned a 3-0 win over Real Valladolid in La Liga on Sunday.
Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde opened the scoring with a low deflected free-kick after 50 minutes and substitutes Brahim Diaz and Endrick struck late on.
In La Liga, Mbappe has failed to score in his opening two matches as Ancelotti works on perfecting his set-up to get the best from the club’s attacking stars.
The coach said Mbappe’s role through the middle of the attack was not something he plans to change.
“He’s a spectacular forward, very fast, moves well without the ball, attacks in behind, he had three or four chances (which were) created with his movement. In this position, he will score like he always scores, I don’t think he needs to play from the left, in the centre in the end he will score goals.,” said Ancelotti.
About Endrick he said: “ He has got a lot of potential and for his goal he showed his quality. He’s a centre-forward who plays in the box, in small spaces he’s very dangerous.”
PSG steamrolls Montpellier
Bradley Barcola scored twice as Ligue 1 champion Paris St Germain hammered Montpellier 6-0 in its first home game of the season on Friday.
PSG was dominant throughout the encounter at the Parc des Princes to record a second straight win following its 4-1 victory at Le Havre in its league opener last week.
Barcola opened the scoring in the fourth minute following a great solo run down the left flank before Marco Asensio doubled the lead, sending the ball into the net after a brilliant team move through a weak defence from the visitor in the 24th.
Barcola netted his second with a tap-in off a Ousmane Dembele pass eight minutes after the break, while Achraf Hakimi coolly slotted home from Nuno Mendes’ pinpoint long-range cross five minutes later.
