Alessia Russo hat-trick: Arsenal striker passes Kirby’s all-time Champions League record

An Alessia Russo hat-trick took the Arsenal striker past Fran Kirby’s all-time English Women’s Champions League goals record as the Gunners beat Benfica 3-0 at Meadow Park on Wednesday.

Russo began the evening on 20 goals, one behind Kirby, and finished it on 23. Her first-half opener drew her level, her second put her ahead and a late penalty completed the hat-trick.

UEFA confirmed that she is now the leading English scorer across the history of the Women’s Champions League and its predecessor, the UEFA Women’s Cup.

How Alessia Russo’s hat-trick broke the record

Russo opened the scoring in the 39th minute with a low shot across Benfica goalkeeper Lena Pauels. Arsenal went into half-time a goal ahead, with Russo having matched Kirby’s career total.

The record-breaking goal arrived in the 66th minute. Russo met Steph Catley’s corner with a glancing header to double Arsenal’s lead and move outright ahead on 22.

She added her third from the penalty spot in the 79th minute after Catarina Amado fouled Caitlin Foord. Benfica’s official match report records the second-half goals and the foul that led to the penalty.

Minute	Goal	Russo’s career total
39	Low finish across goal	21, level with Kirby
66	Header from Catley’s corner	22, outright record
79	Penalty after a foul on Foord	23

Kim Little came on in the 71st minute, replacing Kyra Cooney-Cross. Her return to the squad and Russo’s pursuit of Kirby were covered in our Kim Little injury update.

What Renée Slegers said about Russo

“She is everything,” Slegers told Disney+ after the match, as Sky Sports reported.

The Arsenal head coach praised Russo’s preparation, her contribution in attack and defence, and the example she sets for her team-mates. She added: “It’s a privilege for me to work with her.”

Russo started as captain and was named UEFA’s player of the match. Slegers also praised Arsenal for following their north London derby victory with another win, highlighting the team’s pressing and the chances it helped create.

Russo likewise stressed the importance of building on the Tottenham result. Arsenal have now won consecutive competitive matches for the first time this season.

A career record, with more European games ahead

Wednesday’s landmark concerns Russo’s career total in the competition. She had already broken the single-season scoring record for an Englishwoman in 2024/25, as FourFourTwo reported at the time.

Her goal against Lyon in the second leg of that season’s semi-final took her to seven, excluding qualifying rounds. That surpassed the six scored by Fran Kirby in 2020/21 and Danielle Carter in 2013/14. Including qualifying, Russo had eight goals at that stage of the campaign.

The Benfica win leaves Arsenal unbeaten on seven points from three league-phase matches. They opened with a 1-0 victory over HB Køge before drawing 2-2 away to Paris FC.

Their next Champions League fixture is away to Barcelona on 12 November, according to UEFA’s Arsenal fixture list. They then host Lyon on 19 November before finishing the league phase away to Inter on 16 December.

Elsewhere on Wednesday, Chelsea beat Roma 2-0 through Ellie Carpenter and Kadeisha Buchanan. Read our Chelsea vs Roma report.

Manchester City face Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday evening. Our Man City Women vs PSG TV guide has the viewing details and team news.

Alessia Russo hat-trick: your questions answered

How many Champions League goals has Alessia Russo scored?

Russo has 23 career goals after her hat-trick against Benfica on 28 October 2026. UEFA confirmed her total and her position as the competition’s leading English scorer.

Whose record did Russo break?

Russo passed Fran Kirby’s total of 21. It is the all-time English scoring record in the Women’s Champions League and Women’s Cup, rather than a single-season record.

When did Russo score against Benfica?

She scored in the 39th and 66th minutes, then completed her hat-trick with a penalty in the 79th minute as Arsenal won 3-0.

Who held the Champions League record before Russo?

Fran Kirby held the all-time English scoring record with 21 goals. Russo equalled that total with her opener against Benfica, passed it with her second and finished the match on 23.