'One of those days' for Atletico's four-goal record-breaker Sorloth

BARCELONA — Alexander Sorloth hit four goals in the first 30 minutes to power Atletico Madrid to a 4-0 win over Real Sociedad on Saturday in La Liga.

The Norwegian hitman's quadruple helped Atletico tighten its grip on third place, while La Real slumps to 12th.

Sorloth completed a hat-trick in the opening 11 minutes, the quickest in La Liga history, beating those netted in 15 minutes by Europa's Carles Bestit in 1929 and Valencia's Edmundo "Mundo" Suarez in 1941.

"It's a good feeling; I just had one of those days today," Sorloth told DAZN.

"The ball just seemed to drop to my feet, I was ready in the box, everything went in and (there were) also good passes from my teammates."

Atletico coach Diego Simeone has often relied on Sorloth — who joined the club last summer — as a super-sub this season, but the 29-year-old striker showed what he can do from kickoff in a devastating opening period.

The former Real Sociedad forward dissected the Basque side, opening the scoring after seven minutes with a lethal finish from a Pablo Barrios cross.

In the 10th minute, Sorloth pounced again, this time drilling home from the edge of the box past a flailing Alex Remiro.

The third, in the 11th minute, was gifted to him by comical Real Sociedad defending, and he gobbled up the chance from close range.

Sorloth netted his fourth in the 30th minute with another powerful finish after Javi Galan found him with a low cross.

It was his 17th strike of the season in La Liga, with his four-goal haul sending him flying up the scoring charts in Spain, placing him fourth in contention for the Pichichi Trophy.

Last season, while playing for Villarreal, Sorloth hit four goals in a 17-minute spell against champion Real Madrid in a thrilling 4-4 draw.

The only other players in La Liga history to score four goals on two or more occasions are former Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo and former Barcelona duo Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

"It's a good group to be in," said Sorloth. "Of course I want to be in La Liga for many more years and to have another game like this."

Sorloth almost scored a fifth, clattering one off the crossbar in the second half.

"I was playing really good football, mostly as a substitute. Lately, I'm more in the starting 11, and I'm really happy and I feel much better," added Sorloth.

"You can also see that my teammates know my runs now, especially on the right side, they just know I'm in the box, they don't even have to look, just cross it and I'm going to be there."

Simeone said his forward had the Midas touch. "Every ball that arrived to him ended up as a goal," he said. "Beyond his four goals, he's a very important player, however long he's playing for.

"If we need to attack, he gives us a strong offensive weight in the area. If we counterattack, he has good passing for that. And, if we're closed down and have to defend, his physicality gets us out of uncomfortable situations."

Atletico's season has been disappointing, ending without a trophy, but it will compete in the Club World Cup this summer.

Agencies