Atlético Madrid striker, Alexander Sørloth, delivered a sensational performance on Saturday, netting four goals in just 30 minutes to power his side to a commanding 4-0 victory over Real Sociedad at the Metropolitano Stadium.
The Norwegian wasted no time in making history, completing the fastest hat-trick ever recorded in LaLiga, inside just 11 minutes, before bagging a fourth goal before the half-hour mark to complete the demolition job.
With the LaLiga title already out of reach, Atlético sit comfortably in third place with 70 points, trailing leaders Barcelona by nine and second-placed Real Madrid by five.
Madrid and Barcelona are set to clash in a high-stakes showdown on Sunday.
For Sociedad, the result extended their winless run to five matches. The Basque side has now slipped to 12th place with 43 points and continues to struggle in front of goal, having failed to score in their last three league outings.
After being held to a frustrating goalless draw at lowly Alaves last weekend, Atlético came out with intent.
The breakthrough came in the 7th minute when Sørloth latched onto a long pass from Pablo Barrios and calmly finished to open the scoring.
Just three minutes later, the 29-year-old doubled the lead with a precise strike from the edge of the area that nestled into the bottom corner.
Barely a minute had passed before Sørloth completed his historic treble with a powerful close-range shot that flew into the roof of the net.
Sørloth’s hat trick was four minutes faster than Edmundo Suarez’s in 1941 and Carles Bestit’s in 1929.
Still hungry for more, Sørloth added his fourth in the 30th minute. He collected a pass from Javi Galán at the edge of the box, took a moment to compose himself, then calmly slotted the ball home.
Sørloth became Atletico’s leading scorer in LaLiga this season with 17 goals, two more than in-form striker Julián Álvarez who was suspended.
It’s not the first time Sørloth has stunned a Spanish powerhouse. In May of the previous year, he also scored four times for Villarreal in a dramatic 4-4 draw against then-champions Real Madrid, although it took him 56 minutes on that occasion.
He came close to a fifth on Saturday, rattling the crossbar with a shot from just inside the area early in the second half, as Atlético continued to control the match from start to finish.
