Haris Tabaković brace powers Borussia Mönchengladbach to dominant home win against Augsburg
Haris Tabaković netted twice, with Joe Scally and Kevin Diks also on the scoresheet as Borussia Mönchengladbach took a big home win against Augsburg.
Gladbach 4-0 Augsburg
Goals: 1-0 Scally 8’ (assist: Netz), 2-0 Diks 20’ (pen), 3-0 Tabaković 36’ (assist: Netz), 4-0 Tabaković 61’ (assist: Honorat)
Borussia Mönchengladbach made a perfect start to 2026 as they welcomed Bundesliga football back to Borussia-Park with a convincing victory. After struggling at the beginning of the season, the Foals had turned a corner under Eugen Polanski before the winter break.
Augsburg, meanwhile, arrived in desperate need of points, having suffered nine defeats in their first 15 matches – their worst record at this stage of a season.
Clinical Gladbach put three past Augsburg in dominant first half
Gladbach started brightly, controlling possession whilst Augsburg settled into a deep defensive block. The hosts' early control was rewarded in the eighth minute when Scally opened the scoring. Luca Netz did excellent work on the left before delivering the ball into the danger area, where Scally was on hand to drill it into the net after his initial effort was blocked.
Augsburg tried to respond, and Fabian Rieder sent a shot wide, but the visitors' task became significantly harder when Pedersen was penalised for handball inside the area on 20 minutes. Diks stepped up and confidently sent the spot-kick straight down the middle past Finn Dahmen to double Gladbach's advantage.
The Bavarians enjoyed a brief period of pressure with Alexis Claude-Maurice narrowly missing the target, but they were punished for their wastefulness when Tabaković rose highest to head home Netz's corner for a 3-0 lead on 36 minutes, a goal that survived a VAR check for a potential foul.
Augsburg improve but Tabaković strikes again
The visitors started the second period with greater intent, with Robin Fellhauer testing Moritz Nicolas with a long-range effort and Han-Noah Massengo seeing a shot saved.
Despite Augsburg's efforts, including a free header for Cédric Zesiger that went wide, it was the hosts who struck again. In the 61st minute, Honorat delivered a perfect cross for Tabaković, who expertly looped a header into the far corner for his second of the afternoon and Gladbach's fourth.
Both managers made a flurry of substitutions, with Wael Mohya replacing Franck Honorat for the hosts, while Marius Wolf and Ismaël Gharbi came on for Augsburg. Tabaković was denied a hat-trick by a fine save from Dahmen before being replaced by Shuto Machino. Essende hit the crossbar late on in Augsburg's best chance of the match, but they ultimately failed to find a consolation goal.
Player of the Match: Haris Tabaković
Tabaković was the standout performer at Borussia-Park, netting two impressive headers that showcased both his aerial prowess and clinical finishing. His first came from close range, powerfully heading home Netz's corner to give Gladbach a commanding 3-0 lead before half-time. The striker's second was even more impressive, perfectly directing Honorat's cross into the far corner with a looping header that gave Dahmen no chance.
Beyond his goals, the 31-year-old's hold-up play caused constant problems for the Augsburg defence, and he was only denied a deserved hat-trick by a fine save from Dahmen. With these two goals, Tabaković moved to nine Bundesliga strikes for the season, joint-second in the scoring charts alongside Deniz Undav.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Gladbach 3.43 - Augsburg 2.35
Fastest player: Franck Honorat (Gladbach), 34.12 km/h
Most pressed player: Alexis Claude-Maurice (Augsburg), 20 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Shuto Machino (Gladbach), 1.3
Fantasy Heroes: Haris Tabaković (Gladbach, 369 Points), Joe Scally (Gladbach, 332 Points), Luca Netz (Gladbach, 259 Points)
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