Finnbogason the match winner with a hat-trick

Alfred Finnbogason was the Man of the Match in the 3-0 home win over 1. FSV Mainz 05. The Icelander ended a turbulent week at FCA with a stunning hat-trick. His daughter Viktoria was given the ball that he almost single-handedly defeated 1. FSV Mainz 05 with. Alfred Finnbogason made sure he got the match ball after the final whistle, just like he did after his last hat-trick against SC Freiburg in September 2018. “It was a really good week for me personally,” summed up the 30-year-old after the game. He celebrated his birthday two days before the game too. Finnbogason moves into the top five The striker converted two penalties and then added a third from open play to win the match for FCA. He could have scored another goal just before the half-time whistle, but Mainz keeper Florian Müller made a sensational close-range save to deny him. Nevertheless, he still went on to score his fourth hat-trick in the Bundesliga since the start of the 2017/18 season – a record quicker than any other previous player in the league. He has now moved into the top five of current Bundesliga players with a hat-trick and is level with Arjen Robben. Mario Gomez has the most with 12. “Everybody had been waiting for the side to find a response like this,” said Finnbogason, who despite the joy over the win, was quick to switch the focus to the DFB-Pokal last 16 tie: “I have invited the whole team out for a meal to celebrate my birthday, but from Monday we will be fully concentrated on Kiel.” FCA will try to reach the quarter-finals of the cup for the first time since the 2009/10 campaign. Finnbogason will also be hoping to score his first ever goal in the DFB-Pokal.