Potsdam complete cup hat-trick

1. FFC Turbine Potsdam left it late to claim their third successive German Women's Cup, scoring twice in the last eleven minutes to defeat arch-rivals 1. FFC Frankfurt 2-0 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

Prinz absence
Frankfurt were without FIFA World Player of the Year Birgit Prinz, suspended after picking up a yellow card late on in the semi-final, and missed their talismanic striker's influence. Potsdam enjoyed the better of the early chances and came close with a Nia Künzer header, which was saved by Nadine Angerer after 20 minutes. Petra Wimbersky then hit the crossbar for Frankfurt with a shot from 16 metres on the half-hour.

Kerschowski strike
Substitute Isabel Kerschowski finally made the breakthrough on 79 minutes, just 120 seconds after coming off the bench. Three minutes later Wimbersky made the game safe to ensure a hat-trick of final triumphs for the side from the east of Germany - all of them at Frankfurt's expense. "The win was unexpected considering how we played in the first half. At the start we weren't at the races at all. Too many players went missing in midfield," said Potsdam coach Bernd Schröder. "But we collected ourselves at the break and threw all our qualities into the mixer."

Final repeat
The two sides meet again in May's UEFA Women's Cup final, which is played over two legs on 20 and 27 May. Prinz returns for Frankfurt, who will be looking to reverse the recent trend of cup defeats to reigning European champions Potsdam. Coach Jürgen Tritschoks said: "We played very well tactically. The match might have gone the other way if we had taken our chances. I am proud of my team and I am optimistic for the forthcoming games against Turbine."