Dado Prso celebrated his 29th birthday in amazing style by scoring four times, including a first-half hat-trick, in Monaco’s record 8-3 thrashing of Deportivo La Coruna in Group C.
The Croat striker had scored only two goals in 10 previous league and Champions League matches this season. He made up for all that lost time by striking four times in 23 minutes either side of halftime after Jérôme Rothen and Ludovic Giuly had put Monaco two up in the first 11 minutes.
Prso scored on 25 and 29 minutes, in the second minute of first-half stoppage-time, and again in the 49th.
He is only the third player to score four goals in a Champions League tie after Marco van Basten for Milan against Sweden’s IFK in 1992, and Lazio’s Simone Inzaghi against Marseille in 2000.
Jaroslav Plasil and Edouard Cissé scored Monaco’s other goals. Diego Tristan (two) and Lionel Scaloni replied for Depor, who substituted their goalkeeper José Molina on going in 5-2 down at half-time. Didier Deschamps, the Monaco coach, said: ‘It’s an extraordinary moment to beat a side like Deportivo 8-3 in the Champions League. Unthinkable.†Prso added: ‘This feels great … I’ve scored hat-tricks in training matches but I’ve never scored four in a game before.â€
Monaco were missing their Spanish centre-forward Fernando Morientes because of a thigh injury. He enjoyed the view from the stand alongside Raul Gonzalez, his old friend and captain from Real Madrid, as well as Prince Rainier.
The previous highest aggregate of nine goals in the Champions League was set when Paris Saint-Germain beat Rosenborg of Norway 7-2 in October 2000. The last 8-3 scoreline in Europe’s elite competition was recorded when Lokomotiv Sofia beat Malmo in 1964. The last match to produce 11 goals was Liverpool’s 10-1 win over OPS of Finland in 1980. —