Admir Mehmedi (r.) found the net twice as Freiburg fought back to beat Gladbach 4-2
Admir Mehmedi (r.) found the net twice as Freiburg fought back to beat Gladbach 4-2
Wins for Freiburg and Bremen; goalless in Augsburg
Munich - SC Freiburg and SV Werder Bremen were the big winners on Saturday after turning the tables on Borussia Mönchengladbach and 1899 Hoffenheim respectively. Elsewhere, there was nothing to separate FC Augsburg and Hertha Berlin.
SC Freiburg 4-2 Borussia Mönchengladbach
bundesliga.com rounds up the Matchday 31 action...
Borussia Mönchengladbach's top-four aspirations hit the skids following a 4-2 reverse at SC Freiburg's MAGE-Solar Stadion.
Gladbach started brightly and took a deserved lead just nine minutes in. Raffael and Granit Xhaka combined to release Juan Arango, whose inch-perfect cross was swept home from just nine yards out by Patrick Herrmann to crown a gloriously flowing move. The Foals were flying forward at will, but neither Raffael nor Xhaka could add to their side's slender advantage.
Freiburg come good
Unable to get a foothold in the game for the entire first half, Freiburg struck out of the blue to level matters six minutes after the restart as leading scorer Admir Mehmedi met Jonthan Schmid's cross for his tenth Bundesliga strike of the campaign. Gladbach had the chance to restore their one-goal lead from the spot in the 64th minute, but Filip Daems was unable to get the better of Oliver Baumann.
The Foals were made to pay for that spot-kick blunder with 20 minutes to play when Oliver Sorg rifled in an unstoppable 25-yard strike to put Freiburg ahead for the first time, before Vladimir Darida stroked in barely two minutes later following an incisive passing move. Alvaro Dominguez's suicidal back pass put Freiburg's fourth on a plate for Mehmedi, with Havard Nordveit smashing in a late consolation for the crestfallen visitors a minute from time.
Line-ups and statistics
SV Werder Bremen 3-1 1899 Hoffendem
SV Werder Bremen all but secured their Bundesliga status for another season after coming from behind to beat 1899 Hoffenheim 3-1.
Kevin Volland got the visitors off to a flier, taking Roberto Firmino's well-weighted pass in his stride, rounding Bremen goalkeeper Raphael Wolf and tucking the ball into the the empty net inside three minutes. Firmino threatened a second, but Bremen began to settle and were soon level courtesy of Philipp Bargfrede's emphatic 25-yard volley.
Garcia in the thick of it
Undeterred, Hoffenheim continued to cause problems for Bremen's unconvincing back four through Volland and Firmino, but it was the hosts who squandered the best opportunity to get their noses in front when Franco Di Santo failed to make contact with Santiago Garcia's telling cross. The visitors went straight up the other end with substitute Jiloan Hamad, who shot narrowly wide.
The game was there for the taking, and it was Bremen who seized their chance as Garcia nodded Aaron Hunt's inswinging corner beyond the reach of Jens Grahl with 11 minutes left of the clock. Hoffenheim had the opportunity to level from he spot when when Garcia scythed down Anthony Modeste in the box, but Wolf denied Sejad Salihovc, leaving Nils Petersen to wrap up the points and propel Robin Dutt's men nine points clear of the bottom three with three games left to play.
Line-ups and statistics
FC Augsburg 0-0 Hertha Berlin
Hertha Berlin are without a win in nine matches after being held to a goalless draw away to FC Augsburg.
Hertha head coach Jos Luhukay had to tweak his starting XI after returning defender Fabian Lustenberger tore a muscle in the pre-match warm up. To their credit, the visitors didn't let that setback throw them off their stride, with Sebastian Langkamp going within a crossbar's width of putting the capital club ahead on 11 minutes and only a pair of smart Marwin Hitz saves denying further efforts from Sandro Wagner and Marcel Ndjeng.
No cutting edge
Markus Weinzierl responded to his side's sub-par display by introducing Gladbach-bound Andre Hahn after the break, but even the introduction of Augsburg's leading marksman failed to awake the provincial Bavarian outfit from their slumber. Without the services of the 16-goal Adrian Ramos, Hertha likewise offered precious little as the half wore on, with the tireless Tolda Cigerci seemingly fighting a losing battle from midfield.
The result effectively ends Hertha's hopes of qualifying for next season's UEFA Europa League, but for Augsburg, trailing seventh-placed 1. FSV Mainz 05 by just four points with three games still to play, the dream goes on.
Line-ups and statistics
