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BERLIN (Reuters) – Eintracht Frankfurt’s Croatian striker Ante Rebic scored a 12-minute hat-trick late in the second half as they came from two goals down to beat Waldhof Mannheim 5-3 on Sunday and move into the German Cup second round.
Frankfurt were 3-2 behind when the 25-year-old Rebic struck three times between the 76th and 88th minutes to turn the tie around for the visitors.
RB Leipzig and Hertha Berlin also advanced with Leipzig beating VfL Osnabrueck 3-2 away on coach Julian Nagelsmann’s debut in a competitive game.
The Berliners had a quiet afternoon, easing past VfB Eichstaett 5-1, while second division St Pauli won 4-3 on penalties to eliminate regional club Luebeck after a 3-3 draw.
Their local rivals Hamburg SV twice came from a goal down against Chemnitz and advanced with a 6-5 win on penalties following a 2-2 draw.
Cologne squandered a two-goal lead before drawing 3-3 and then beating SV Wehen 3-2 in another shootout.
Borussia Dortmund beat KFC Uerdingen 2-0 on Friday to book their second-round spot, while holders Bayern Munich take on Energie Cottbus on Monday.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Ken Ferris)
