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NABS HAT TRICK IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DEBUT Haaland dazzled and delighted the home fans during his Champions League debut in 2019—generating a much-deserved standing ovation—as he put together a history-making performance. He scored less than two minutes into Red Bull Salzburg’s opening group stage match against Genk and followed that explosive start with two more glorious goals before halftime arrived to leap into the record books as the only player to record a first-half hat trick in his Champions League debut. The fabulous feat also made Haaland the fourth youngest to notch a hat trick in his Champions League start behind Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney and Real Madrid’s Raúl and Rodrygo. Leading up to the match, which Salzburg comfortably won 6–2, Haaland had been riding a wave of prolific play that was turning heads across the soccer landscape. He had produced 17 goals in his previous nine matches, and he was piling up hat tricks along the way, as this one marked his fourth of the season.

Erling Haaland became the first-ever player to record a first-half hat trick in his Champions League debut, leading Salzburg to a 6–2 win in 2019.

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