Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid, Kashima Antlers, FIFA Club World Cup
Real Madrid beat Kashima Antlers 4-2 in the final, with their Portuguese star scoring three.

Real Madrid headed into the FIFA Club World Cup final as favorites, and rightly so, given that they were playing against Japanese side Kashima Antlers. Benzema opened the scoring after nine minutes – all was well.

Then the game turned: Shibasaki scored a brace to give the opponents a 2-1 lead. That advantage lasted only for a few minutes, as Cristiano – who was quiet up until that moment – stepped up his game.

His first goal of the match came courtesy of a penalty, as the Portuguese ace converted a spot-kick to pull his side level. The score ended 2-2 after 90 minutes, thus ushering extra-time.

Here’s is when the four-time Ballon d’Or winner ended the match before the final whistle. He completed his brace in the 97th minute; then he made it a hat-trick seven minutes later. The score line remained that way until the very end.

The 31-year-old not only lifted the FIFA Club World Cup once again, but he set several records. Firstly, it was his 40th hat-trick for Los Blancos, the most by a single player for a Spanish club. 

He also became their highest scorer in this competition, and the first to score three in a Club World Cup final. Check out the best tweets below.