Sorloth, a legendary gunslinger who smashes records and beats Real Sociedad in half an hour

You can't stop a whirlwind, and that's what Alexander Sorloth must have thought when he found the goal, one after another and without much effort, when he had barely begun to sweat against Real Sociedad . Every ball that touched his boot ended up in the back of Remiro 's net. And that spirit was not to be let go. In a flash, he became the fastest gunslinger in La Liga, breaking a record in another football that has stood for 84 years, and put Atlético on track to victory before the half-hour mark. His teammates only needed to supply him with balls. It didn't matter if it was a cross from the right or the left, a through ball or a solo counterattack. Everything Sorloth touched ended up on the scoreboard. [ Narration and statistics: 4-0 ]

The first was prepared for Barrios , leading a counterattack down the right flank and with a cross that only needed a touch with his toe to beat the Real Sociedad goal. Sorloth was a starter due to Julián Álvarez 's suspension and within seven minutes he had already found the net. In three more, the second arrived. This time, he did it all on his own. Samu Lino stole the ball, leaned on his fall to the wing, and the Norwegian looked up, but finding no support in the area, he played it well. Real Sociedad had barely taken the center when they found their third. Giuliano sent a ball in from the right that Jon Martín parried into the body of Martín Zubimendi , who became an involuntary assist for the Norwegian's hat trick .

Three goals in the first 11 minutes are the earliest in LaLiga history. Valencia's Mundo needed 15 in 1941 to score the same number against the same rival, Real Sociedad. But the giant's statistical explosion didn't stop there. He scored his three goals in three minutes and 57 seconds , making him the fastest striker in history. Kevin Gameiro also needed four minutes and 45 seconds for Atlético in Gijón, and David Villa needed three more seconds for Valencia.

There was so much play to be done, and such was Atlético's excitement that the fourth goal came in the half-hour mark, also from Sorloth, completing the four-goal lead on their magical night. This time, Javi Galán assisted him from the left wing, but Elustondo failed to clear, and the Norwegian appeared to punish him.

Real Sociedad, in tatters, were facing leaks from all sides . They were unable to even hold onto the ball, trembling with disbelief. Either they shook off the sticky, overwhelming dominance, or the rout would be historic. Not to mention that this burden greatly complicates their return to Europe, the last service Imanol Alguacil wanted to provide before his departure.

A Take Kubo cross from the left flank that Zubimendi couldn't catch at the far post was the only chance for the San Sebastian side in a painful first half. That's why their bench scrambled to find solidity in the second half, even if it meant sacrificing Kubo and Oyarzabal.

Far from that reaction, what they found was Sorloth violently smashing the ball off the crossbar after Marcos Llorente had crossed it for the penalty spot. The four goals that put him ahead of Cristiano, Messi, and Luis Suárez weren't enough to satisfy the Norwegian.

However, the excitement was fading in the red-and-white ranks. They lifted their feet and went from the verticality that destroyed Real Sociedad to comfortably controlling a groggy, blank-eyed opponent. He didn't need more, either, and Simeone began to distribute his efforts, thinking about Osasuna and Betis. The team has third place in LaLiga secured, but the Club World Cup looms on the horizon, and their efforts must be sustained.

He protected Barrios, who was in pain, and little by little he started sending potentially lethal bullets onto the pitch. Griezmann, Lemar's left foot—who excelled in a free kick on the edge of the box—and Gallagher's lung power. He also used Correa, who was lethal, and Remiro robbed him of the fifth goal. But this time, the substitution had a different intention than usual: to make Sorloth leave his magical match to a standing ovation from the Metropolitano.