Conor Gallagher sets UCL record for English players

Conor Gallagher gave Atletico Madrid an early lead in the second leg of their Champions League tie against Real Madrid on Wednesday, scoring just 27 seconds into the match.

The midfielder pounced on a pass from Rodrigo De Paul, firing the ball beyond Thibaut Courtois to put Atlético in front.

According to Opta, Gallagher’s strike is the fastest ever scored by an English player in Champions League history.

The goal brought Atletico level with their city rivals on aggregate.

In the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid side won 2-1, with Rodrygo and Brahim Díaz scoring to cancel out Julián Álvarez’s effort.

Conor Gallagher Sets Another Record With His Strike

This is the 25-year-old’s first-ever goal in European competition.

Gallagher’s strike also set another record, as it became the quickest Champions League goal in Atletico Madrid’s history.

However, the England international’s goal still falls short of Roy Makaay’s lightning-fast strike for Bayern Munich in March 2007.

Makaay scored in just 10.12 seconds during a last-16 second leg against Real Madrid – a record that still stands.

Coincidentally, both goals came in a similar context: both Gallagher and Makaay scored in second-leg encounters against Real Madrid, with their respective teams having lost the first leg.

Gallagher will be hoping his goal brings good fortune, just as Makaay’s did – after Bayern came from behind to win the second leg, although they were eventually eliminated in the quarter-finals.

The England midfielder has made an impressive start to his season in Spain since joining Atletico from Chelsea last summer for £36million.

He has racked up 36 appearances, contributed three goals and four assists in all competitions for Atletico Madrid. Before the second leg against Real, Gallagher had gone without a goal since September 22.