Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo scored the 78th, 79th and 80th UEFA Champions League goals of his career during Tuesday's 4-0 group-stage victory over FC Shakhtar Donetsk, becoming the first footballer to reach 80 Champions League goals, per ESPN Stats & Info.
Ronaldo entered the game with 77 Champions League goals, tied for first place with none other than Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo broke the tie in the 55th minute of Tuesday's game, burying a penalty kick to give Madrid a commanding 2-0 lead after Donetsk defender Darijo Srna committed a handball in the penalty area.
Ronaldo later added another goal from a penalty in the 63rd minute, once again taking advantage of a handball by a Donetsk player.
He then completed the hat-trick with a goal in the flow of play, finding the back of the net with an 81st-minute header to give Madrid a 4-0 advantage.
The hat-trick was Ronaldo's third in Champions League play, and he now holds the all-time CL record with 11 goals from penalty kicks, per ESPN Stats & Info.
Of course, many of the key Champions League records bounce back and forth between Ronaldo and Messi throughout the course of each season, and Messi is scheduled to face Roma on Wednesday.
via http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2567404-ronaldo-becomes-1st-player-to-reach-80-goals-in-champions-league-play
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