Eintracht Frankfurt striker Younes Ebnoutalib hails confidence-boosting opening-day hat-trick at Union Berlin | OneFootball

Eintracht Frankfurt striker Younes Ebnoutalib said his opening-day hat-trick lifted his confidence as Frankfurt drew 3-3 at Union Berlin on Saturday. The match was played at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.

The 22-year-old scored all three goals for the visitors, joining Andrej Kramarić and Harry Kane as players to hit Matchday One hat-tricks in the last three Bundesliga seasons.

Injuries disrupted his first half-season in Frankfurt after a midwinter move from Elversberg, having previously featured for FC Gießen. He scored on his Bundesliga debut against Borussia Dortmund before a knee injury halted his momentum. He then managed only five league appearances in the second half of 2025/26.

Saturday underlined his potential. Having also scored in Frankfurt’s opening-round Pokal win over St. Tönnis, he now has five goals across all competitions. That carries weight for a player limited to 21 Bundesliga minutes in three substitute outings after last spring’s knee injury.

Ebnoutalib told ARD: “Of course I’m happy that I scored three goals straight away in the first game. It would have been nicer if we had won. We were missing a little bit of luck. It’s a shame. That’s good for my mind. It gives me confidence in how I’ll approach the next matches.”

New head coach Adi Hütter was equally pleased. “He works incredibly hard for the team,” Hütter told Sky Germany after the full-time whistle. “And when one works that hard, you get rewarded. It was a top start from him.”

Source: Get German Football News

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