bundesliga

Jonas Hofmann double as Borussia Mönchengladbach down Hoffenheim for first away win

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Jonas Hofmann scored two goals and set up another to pave the way for Borussia Mönchengladbach's first away win of the 2022/23 campaign with a 4-1 triumph at Hoffenheim.

Hoffenheim 1-4 Gladbach
Goals: 0-1
Hofmann 11' (assist: Stindl), 0-2 Hofmann (37'), 1-2 Bebou 80' (assist: Baumgartner), 1-3 Stindl 83' (assist: Hofmann), 1-4 Wolf 90'+1 (assist: Netz)

After a cagey opening between two teams looking for their first victories of 2023, Christoph Baumgartner had the first chance for Hoffenheim on eight minutes when he collected Jonas Omlin's wayward attempted clearance from the back, but he couldn't punish the goalkeeper as he dragged his shot wide. Hofmann showed him how it was done shortly afterwards as Gladbach countered, with Lars Stindl spreading a brilliant cross-field ball over the home defence for Hofmann to chase and lash past Oliver Baumann. Baumgartner very nearly equalised straight away from the restart after rounding Omlin, but Ko Itakura scrambled back to clear off the line. Hofmann grabbed his second of the game shortly before half-time, drilling in after a fortunate ricochet when John Brooks' attempted clearance hit Stanley Nsoki and fell at his feet. Pavel Kaderabek should have pulled a goal back for the hosts before the break but blazed his shot over from 10 yards.

Hoffenheim had the next opening in the second half too, when Ihlas Bebou scampered clear down the right and crossed to the back post, where Munas Dabbur was lurking. He seemed set to score until Itakura threw himself in the way again, preventing the hosts from gaining a foothold in the game. Hofmann miscued a left-footed chance to get his hat-trick moments later, following good work from Marcus Thuram, with Stindl's follow-up attempt blocked by Baumann. The home side intensified their efforts in the closing stages and Andrej Kramaric fizzed a shot just wide of the post before Baumgartner hit the upright with a header. They were eventually rewarded when Baumgartner met a deep cross at the back post and headed it back across goal for Bebou to tap in from close range. Any hopes of a comeback were quashed almost instantly though when Hofmann teed up Stindl to curl in from 10 yards, before Hannes Wolf added gloss to the scoreline in stoppage time to put the seal on a much-needed win.

Match stats

  • Brooks made his debut for Hoffenheim here following his arrival from Benfica, playing in the centre of a back three.
  • Hoffenheim's 18-year-old midfielder Umut Tohumcu made his Bundesliga debut.
  • Hofmann scored inside the opening 15 minutes for the fourth time this term - a league high. The 30-year-old now has seven goals to his name in 2022/23.
  • It was also the first time he has hit a brace in an away game, following seven doubles on home turf.
  • Stindl provided his sixth assist of the season.
  • The attacker also registered his fourth goal of the season, three of which have come in 2023.

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Teams

Hoffenheim: Baumann (c) - Kabak, Brooks, Nsoki - Kaderabek (Dabbur 62'), Rudy (Tohumcu 46'), Bischof (Becker 75'), Angelino - Baumgartner - Dolberg (Bebou 46'), Kramaric
Unused subs: Phillip, Bicakcic, Che, Quaresma, Damar
Out: Akpoguma (suspended), Bruun Larsen (groin), Prömel (ankle), Skov (calf), Stiller (calf), Vogt (thigh)
Coach: Andre Breitenreiter

Gladbach: Omlin - Scally (Lainer 90'+5), Itakura, Elvedi, Bensebaini - Weigl, Kone - Hofmann (Netz 90'), Kramer (Jantschke 90'+5), Stindl (c) (Wolf 86') - Thuram (Plea 86')
Unused subs: Olschowsky, Friedrich, Ngoumou, Neuhaus
Out: -
Coach: Daniel Farke