Ajax Striker Sébastien Haller Makes Champions League History

He may not be a household name, but Sébastien Haller has set a Champions League goalscoring record that not even Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo can claim for themselves. 

On Wednesday night against Beşiktaş, Haller led Ajax's 2-1 second-half comeback win by scoring both of the club's goals. According to Opta, the Ivorian international set a Champions League record by scoring more goals (nine) in his first five UCL matches than any player in the competition's storied history. Erling Haaland had previously held the mark, with eight.

Ajax has won each of its five Champions League games this season, more than enough to clinch its group and advance to the knockout stages. With his two goals, Haller also drew even with Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski atop the UCL goalscoring charts this season.

Trailing 1–0 in the 54th minute, Haller opened the scoring for Ajax with his easy tap-in goal off a counterattack. Fifteen minutes later, the 27-year-old forward struck again, poaching a goal off a free-kick routine that ended up being the match-winner. 

It's quite the turn of events after Haller's infamous first experience with European competition last season. After Haller joined the Dutch giants from West Ham over the winter transfer window for 22.5 million euros ($26.7 million), Ajax couldn't register its record signing for the Europa League after accidentally omitting his name when submitting the UEL roster. 

But Haller has proved to be the Eredivisie's top scorer this season with nine goals in 13 games, as Ajax sits atop the table alongside rival PSV Eindhoven with 30 points.