Moritz Nicolas stands tall as Hamburg and Gladbach play out goalless draw
Borussia Mönchengladbach goalkeeper Moritz Nicolas made 10 saves to deny Hamburg despite the hosts' 27 shots on goal in a 0-0 draw at the Volksparkstadion.
Hamburg welcomed Gladbach to the Volksparkstadion, looking to extend their four-match unbeaten home run. The hosts had secured 14 of their 16 points this season on home soil, while the visitors were hoping to bounce back from a chastening 5-1 defeat at Hoffenheim in midweek.
Merlin Polzin's side made two changes from their defeat at Freiburg, with Jordan Torunarigha replacing the suspended Daniel Elfadli and Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer coming in for Albert Sambi Lokonga. For Gladbach, Eugen Polanski also made two changes with Luca Netz and Florian Neuhaus replacing Lukas Ullrich and Jens Castrop.
Hamburg dominate without reward
Hamburg wasted no time in establishing their authority, creating the first meaningful opportunity in the fourth minute. Königsdörffer pounced on a mistake from Kevin Diks and fired a shot that Nicolas parried, before Jean-Luc Dompé struck the side-netting with the follow-up.
The home side continued to apply pressure, with Dompé, Nicolas Capaldo and Bakery Jatta all testing Nicolas in the first 20 minutes. By the half-hour mark, Hamburg had registered 11 shots to Gladbach's none, with every outfield player in the home side having at least one attempt in the opening 45 minutes.
The visitors' first opportunity came in the 27th minute when Haris Tabaković shot wide from a promising position after being found by a Franck Honorat cross.
Stalemate continues despite changes
The second half was a far more even game as Gladbach started to get to grips with the hosts. Despite that, it was Hamburg who continued to probe, with Fábio Vieira and Jatta both seeing efforts go wide around the hour mark.
Tabaković missed Gladbach's best chance in the 70th minute, failing to direct his header on target when well positioned. The match became more scrappy in the final stages, and despite nine minutes of added time and late efforts from Alexander Rössing-Lelesiit and Luka Vušković, the deadlock could not be broken.
Man of the Match: Moritz Nicolas
Nicolas produced a heroic performance to earn Gladbach a valuable point. The goalkeeper made 10 saves throughout the match - a personal record for him in the Bundesliga and more than any keeper has made in a single match this season. Nicolas was alert from the start, denying Königsdörffer in the fourth minute and then making crucial stops from Capaldo and Jatta in quick succession around the 19-minute mark. His positioning and reflexes were exceptional throughout, particularly when saving Damion Downs' header in the second half. Nicolas controlled his area confidently, and his commanding display was rewarded with a clean sheet despite Hamburg's 27 shots.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Hamburg 1.42 - Gladbach 0.74
Fastest player: Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer (Hamburg), 33.03 km/h
Most pressed player: Haris Tabaković (Gladbach), 13 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Jean-Luc Dompé (Hamburg), 2.15
Fantasy Heroes: Moritz Nicolas (Gladbach, 530 Points), Miro Muheim (Hamburg, 304 Points), Jordan Torunarigha (Hamburg, 230 Points)
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