Kylian Mbappe delivered a masterclass in finishing, scoring all four goals to guide Real Madrid to a 4-3 victory over Olympiacos in the Champions League on Wednesday. The French captain netted the second-fastest hat-trick in the competition's history during a first-half spell, ensuring Los Blancos ended a three-game winless streak across all competitions.
The result lifts Xabi Alonso’s side to fifth in the league phase standings with 12 points, strengthening their bid for automatic qualification to the knockout stages.
The visitors fell behind early when Francisco Chiquinho fired Olympiacos into an eighth-minute lead with a strike from outside the box. However, Madrid decided to wake up and bring the nightmare to the home side.
Mbappe leveled the score in the 22nd minute, slotting home a pass from Vinicius Junior, before heading in an Arda Guler cross two minutes later. He completed his rapid treble in the 29th minute, curling a finish past goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis after being set up by Eduardo Camavinga to give Madrid a 3-1 lead at the break. All of it in just a span of 6 minutes and 42 seconds.
Olympiacos though, refused to capitulate, cutting the deficit shortly after the restart through a Mehdi Taremi header. Real Madrid appeared to have sealed the contest when Mbappe tapped in his fourth goal on the hour mark following another assist from Vinicius Junior.
However, Ayoub El Kaabi’s 81st-minute header set up a tense final countdown in Athens, forcing Madrid to withstand late pressure to secure their first-ever victory away to Olympiacos in five attempts.
Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso expressed relief at halting the team's recent slump. “The important thing was to win, to break the cycle, to feel that feeling,” Alonso said. "I really liked that at 1-0 we didn’t lose our heads, we played calmly and maturely and turned it around. We are back to winning ways, and we won in Greece for the first time."
Mbappe’s haul took him to nine goals in five Champions League games this season, making him the competition's top scorer. Speaking after the match, the striker highlighted the collective effort required to bounce back. “We knew that we had gone three games without a win, which is an awful lot for a team like us,” Mbappe said. “I’m very happy, scoring goals is always a pleasure for me. My team-mates have a lot of quality... In the end, we are together, with all Madridistas.”
Alonso also reserved empathy and praise for Vinicius Jr. following past week rumors of conflict taking center stage. “I feel very bad about the disallowed goal, because it’s a move we talked about and it would have given him a good feeling, because it’s very typical of him.”
While Madrid looks toward the knockout stages, the defeat leaves Olympiacos in a precarious position, dropping to 33rd in the table with just two points and three matches remaining.