Robert Lewandowski shoots during the UEFA Champions League Group H match against Royal Antwerp, Sept. 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Joan Gosa)
Robert Lewandowski became the third football player in history to score 100 goals in European competitions.
WARSAW, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- FC Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski said "he experienced a beautiful moment" in the UEFA Champions League against Royal Antwerp, as the Pole became the third football player in history to reach the mark of one hundred goals in European competition.
Previously that feat was achieved just by Cristiano Ronaldo with 145 goals and Lionel Messi with 132. Poland's captain could celebrate his moment on Tuesday evening, when FC Barcelona crushed Royal Antwerp 5-0 in the UEFA Champions League group stage. In the 19th minute, the 34-year-old doubled the lead of the Catalans. He needed 139 matches to score 100 goals in European competition.
Robert Lewandowski (1st,R) of Barcelona breaks through during the UEFA Champions League Group C match against Bayern Munich in Munich, Germany, on Sept. 13, 2022. (Photo by Philippe Ruiz/Xinhua)
"During the match I didn't think about the statistics. Of course I'm really proud. Hundred goals scored in the European Cups is a great achievement, as a young boy I didn't even dream about that kind of success. I experienced a beautiful moment," Lewandowski said in an interview with Polish media on Thursday morning.
"My style has changed, I'm not focused only on scoring. I don't know whether it's about my age or the system in which we started to play. I just enjoy playing, I want to pass to my teammates, create chances and find the spaces for them. I believe it was visible in the clash against Antwerp," the Pole who also added an assist in the match said. ■
