Gladbach gain ground following Freiburg late show
Borussia Mönchengladbach remain unbeaten in three games under coach Dieter Hecking after stepping up late to down a distraught SC Freiburg.
Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-0 SC Freiburg
Goals: 1-0 Stindl (73'), 2-0 Raffael (78'), 3-0 Herrmann (90+2')
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Buoyed by a first Bundesliga away win of the season against Bayer 04 Leverkusen last weekend, the Foals were keen to deliver a bright start in their opening home encounter of the year. Yet during the early stages, the hosts rarely troubled a Freiburg side set up to frustrate. Caglar Söyüncü's angled effort failed to beat goalkeeper Yann Sommer as Christian Streich’s men looked to hit the front while Andreas Christensen fluffed Gladbach's best chance at the other end.
The pace increased after the restart, with Freiburg – who had lost just once in five previous away outings – in full flow. Vincenzo Grifo's low drive tested Sommer while Florian Niederlechner just failed to connect with Nils Petersen's cross-shot. Gladbach rallied, however, and when the alert Fabian Johnson headed visiting goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow's clearance back towards Stindl, the Borussia captain drove forward before firing in off the upright. That lead was soon doubled when Raffael - taking advantage of some fine build-up play from Mahmoud Dahoud – smashed home from close range. On his return from injury, Patrick Herrmann added a third in injury-time as the party started in North Rhine-Westphalia.
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Man of the match
Stindl set the ball rolling for Gladbach with a superb turn of pace and finish that lifted the mood inside BORUSSIA-PARK. It was a moment that instilled belief among the home side, who had struggled to find form for large parts against a previously well-organised Freiburg.
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Talking point
Just how far Gladbach can rise under Hecking now remains an intriguing question. A first home win in 2017 follows an impressive come-from-behind triumph away to Leverkusen, and the Foals now have their tails up ahead of the crucial domestic and European encounters.
Match stats
- Gladbach have now collected seven points from their three games with Hecking in charge. Saturday's hosts had previously won just one of their last six at home. Freiburg's search for a first away win at Gladbach since 1995 continues.
Line-ups
Gladbach: Sommer - Jantschke, Christensen, Vestergaard, Wendt - Kramer, Dahoud - Hahn (Johnson 65'), Hazard - Stindl (c) (Drmic 88'), Raffael (Herrmann 90')
Coach: Dieter Hecking
Freiburg: Schwolow - Kübler (Ignjovski 83'), Gulde, Söyüncü, Günter - Abrashi (Schuster 87'), Frantz (c) - Haberer, Grifo - Petersen - Niederlechner (Nielsen 83')
Coach: Christian Streich
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