Birthday boy Yannik Engelhardt shines as Borussia Mönchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen share the spoils
Borussia Mönchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen played out an electrifying 1-1 draw at Borussia-Park on Matchday 21, with birthday boy Yannik Engelhardt opening the scoring before Philipp Sander's own goal levelled proceedings for the visitors in a very physical instalment of this Rhine Derby.
Borussia Mönchengladbach 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen
Goals: 1-0 Engelhardt 10‘, 1-1 Sander 44‘ (o.g.)
Borussia Mönchengladbach entered Saturday's clash with Bayer Leverkusen in desperate need of points, sitting just three points above the relegation play-off spot after a poor run of form. The Foals had been winless in their previous four Bundesliga matches and had claimed victory just once in their last seven outings. More concerningly, Eugen Polanski's side had failed to defeat any team from the top half of the table this season.
Leverkusen, meanwhile, arrived at Borussia-Park boasting an impressive 12-match unbeaten streak against Gladbach, looking to maintain their push for European qualification following back-to-back league victories.
The hosts started brightly with Kevin Stöger testing Janis Blaswich from distance in the seventh minute. Three minutes later, birthday boy Engelhardt gave the Foals the perfect present when he capitalised on a defensive error.
Blaswich played a loose pass to Aleix García who was quickly dispossessed by Engelhardt. Haris Tabaković saw his initial effort saved, but Engelhardt pounced on the rebound to fire home from eight yards.
Despite dominating possession, Leverkusen struggled to create clear-cut opportunities. However, the visitors equalised against the run of play in the 44th minute when Malik Tillman slipped the ball back to García, whose shot took a wicked deflection off Philipp Sander and looped into the top corner.
Kasper Hjulmand introduced Ernest Poku for Loïc Badé at half-time as Leverkusen sought to gain the upper hand. The substitution nearly paid immediate dividends when Ezequiel Fernández won possession and teed up Patrik Schick, whose powerful effort flashed just wide.
Die Werkself continued to control proceedings but found it increasingly difficult to penetrate Gladbach's resolute defence. Tensions boiled over in the 68th minute when Exequiel Palacios, who had replaced Fernández moments earlier, was involved in a heated exchange with Stöger, resulting in yellow cards for both players.
Not long after, the hosts threatened again on the counter-attack, with Jens Castrop forcing a smart save from Blaswich at his near post on the hour mark. As the match entered its final stages, both managers made multiple changes in search of a winner, but neither side could find the decisive breakthrough.
Man of the Match: Yannik Engelhardt
What better way to celebrate your 25th birthday than with a goal and a Man of the Match performance?
Engelhardt was the driving force behind Gladbach's spirited display, demonstrating his tenacity by winning the ball high up the pitch for his 10th-minute strike.
Beyond his goal, the midfielder covered more ground than any other player (12.5 km) and displayed remarkable composure under pressure, successfully escaping 80% of challenging situations.
His defensive work was equally impressive, helping to frustrate a Leverkusen side that enjoyed the majority of possession but struggled to create clear-cut chances. Engelhardt's all-action display epitomised the fighting spirit Gladbach will need to pull away from relegation danger.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Borussia Mönchengladbach 1.08 - Leverkusen 0.63
Fastest player: Franck Honorat (Gladbach), 33.85 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 1-0 by Yannik Engelhardt (Gladbach), 52 per cent
Most pressed player: Rocco Reitz (Gladbach), 17 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Kevin Stöger (Gladbach), +3.41
Fantasy Heroes: Yannik Engelhardt (Gladbach, 289 Points), Jens Castrop (Gladbach, 191 Points), Rocco Reitz (Gladbach, 182 Points)
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