Teenage striker Matthew Hoppe has become the first American ever to score a hat-trick in the Bundesliga after the youngster bagged three goals against Hoffenheim on Saturday.
Hoppe is the first American to score three goals in a single Bundesliga tie and the teenagers heroics couldn’t have come at a better time.
In Schalke’s hour of need, 19-year-old Matthew Hoppe stepped up with the first ever Bundesliga hat-trick by an American player 🎩
What dreams are made of ✨🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/CfZYuMBVWG
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) January 9, 2021
Schalke were coming off the back of a 30 game winless run – just one away from matching the previous record of 31 games without a win set by Tasmania Berlin in the 1965/66 season.
The 19-year-old opened the scoring in the 42nd minute with a lovely chipped finish to give Schalke the lead.
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Hoppe then doubled the home sides lead in the 57th minute when he rounded the goalkeeper and cooly slotted the ball into the empty net.
The American then made history in the 63rd minute by completing his hat-trick making him the first American in history to score three goals in a single Bundesliga game.
Schalke went on to win the game 4-0 thanks to a fourth goal by Amine Harit in the 79th minute.