Girona striker Taty Castellanos on Tuesday became the first player to score four goals in one game against Real Madrid in La Liga since 1947.
The forward put on a lethal display to stun the champions 4-2 and virtually extinguish any remaining hopes they had of defending their title against rivals Barcelona.
Castellanos, on loan from MLS club New York City, scored two goals in both halves to secure Girona an impressive victory over manager Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The last player to score four against Madrid in La Liga was Real Oviedo’s Esteban Echavarria in 1947 although current Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski managed the feat in the UEFA Champions League in 2013 with Borussia Dortmund.
Castellanos broke the deadlock with a poacher’s header and drilled the second through Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin’s legs.
The forward gave Madrid defender Eder Militao nightmares with his movement.
He pounced again after just 36 seconds in the second half to complete his hat-trick, and easily escaped Militao to nod in the fourth from close range.
Castellanos departed to a standing ovation when he was replaced in the 72nd minute.
“It was a dream night, we had a great game against one of the best teams in the world, it was a dream night,” he said. “I never imagined this, [I’m] enjoying it with our fans, with the people who have sent me support — my family, people in Argentina, they are always supporting me and that’s fundamental.”
The Argentine striker won the MLS Golden Boot in 2021 with 19 goals in 32 matches, but has not been capped by his country.
A year ago, Castellanos scored four goals for New York City against Real Salt Lake, but said his accomplishment against Madrid was on a different level.
“Obviously they are different days, it was a dream to score against Madrid and to score four — you can’t even imagine it,” he said. “I’m very happy for everything, for the fans, for the lads.”
Castellanos now has 11 goals in 29 appearances in La Liga this season.
He made headlines in Spain for a miss when through on goal during Girona’s 0-0 draw at the Camp Nou earlier this month. He shut down his social media accounts in the aftermath amid criticism from fans.
“Taty was very good apart from the goals when it came to his work,” Girona coach Michel said. “I’m happy for him, because after his game against Barca, and his miss, he shut his social media down.”
“I told him to be calm, that it was his first season in Europe,” Michel said.
Carlos Alcaraz on Monday powered into the French Open second round with a resounding win to start his title defense, while world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and three-time defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek also progressed at Roland Garros. Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz struck 31 winners in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri and is to face Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan in round two. Alcaraz is now on an eight-match winning streak at the French Open and also took Olympic silver at Roland Garros last year, losing the final to Novak Djokovic. “The first round is never
TIGHT FINISH: Napoli only needed to do the same as or better than Inter, who won their game against Como 2-0 on the same day, leaving Napoli with a one-point lead The two players who Antonio Conte wanted more than any others secured Napoli their second Serie A title in three years on Friday. Scott McTominay scored with an acrobatic bicycle kick before halftime and Romelu Lukaku doubled the lead with a solo goal after the break in the decisive 2-0 home win over Cagliari. Conte became the first coach to win the Italian championship with three different teams. “Everyone contributed to this — but the coach most of all,” Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo said. “Napoli needed him to get back on top. He’s phenomenal.” Comparing it to his three Serie A titles won
The journey of Taiwan’s badminton mixed doubles duo Ye Hong-wei and Nicole Chan at the Malaysia Masters in Kuala Lumpur came to an end in the semi-finals yesterday after they suffered a 2-0 loss to China’s Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping. Ye, 25, and Chan, 20, teamed up last year and are currently ranked No. 23 in the world. The Taiwanese shuttlers took on China’s second seeds in the mixed doubles event, but proved no match for Feng and Huang, losing the match 10-21, 7-21. In the first half of the first game, the pairings were neck and neck at 6-7 until Ye
SSC Napoli coach Antonio Conte has dragged the team back from disaster and restored them to the top of Italian Serie A, but his future at the Scudetto winners is in doubt even after a triumphant season. The fiery 55-year-old has exceeded preseason expectations and bolstered his reputation as a serial winner by guiding Napoli to their fourth Scudetto, and second in three seasons. However, he might well be on his way in the summer after just one season at the helm as his charged relationship with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has simmered throughout the campaign. Conte has said