With his incredible brace after coming off the bench, Joselu Mato entered an elite club of players to make history in the Champions League. He is now one of the three players to have scored two goals after coming off the bench in a Champions League semifinal.
More impressively, it took him only nine minutes after coming off the bench to achieve the feat and send Los Blancos into the Champions League 2024 final where they will face Borussia Dortmund for a shot at making it 15 titles.
Joselu Mato makes history as UCL semifinal supersub
Only three substitutes have scored 2+ goals in a UEFA Champions League semi-final:
— Squawka (@Squawka) May 8, 2024
◎ Gini Wijnaldum (45 mins vs. Barcelona, 2019)
◎ Rodrygo (52 mins vs. Man City, 2021)
◉ Joselu (9 mins vs. Bayern, 2024)#UCL https://t.co/SnflfH4Hs8
The first ever player to score two goals after coming off the bench in a Champions League semifinal was Gini Wijnaldum of Liverpool. The midfielder scored a brace at Anfield to eliminate Barcelona, as part of the famous comeback. The Reds eventually went on to beat Tottenham in the final and win their 6th title.
The second was Joselu’s current teammate Rodrygo, when the Brazilian scored twice to eliminate Manchester City in 2021. Real Madrid eventually went on to win their 14th title in Paris.
And now, Joselu has become the third ever player in history to achieve this feat. He was in the crowd when Madrid won against Liverpool in Paris, and now has the chance to lift the trophy himself. And if he does, his contribution will certainly be one of the most memorable moments of their run to the final.
