Matthias Ginter and Freiburg increase pressure on struggling Borussia Mönchengladbach
Matthias Ginter scored against his former club Borussia Mönchengladbach as Freiburg came out 2-1 winners to extend their unbeaten home run and push the visitors closer to the relegation battle.
Freiburg 2-1 Borussia MönchengladbachGoals: 1-0 Ginter 38’, 2-0 Matanović 74’, 2-1 Tabaković 85’ (assist: Stöger)
Freiburg entered this Matchday 23 fixture in impressive home form, having won all four of their matches at the Europa-Park Stadion since the winter break. The Black Forest club were also enjoying a nine-game unbeaten streak against Gladbach – their longest such run against any opponent.
For the visitors, the situation was far more concerning, with Eugen Polanski's side sitting just three points above the relegation zone after a run of six league matches without a win.
The hosts started brightly with Jan-Niklas Beste causing problems down the right flank. Vincenzo Grifo found Beste with a superb diagonal ball in the 7th minute, but Kevin Diks did well to block his attempt. Despite having less possession, Freiburg created the better chances, with Igor Matanović firing over in the 11th minute after showing some good technicality.
Gladbach grew into the game midway through the half but struggled to create clear opportunities before Freiburg finally made their superiority count. The breakthrough came in the 38th minute when a long throw-in was inadvertently flicked on by Diks into the path of Ginter, who acrobatically volleyed home against his former club from close range.
After a slow start to the second half, Freiburg should have added a second in the 63rd minute when Beste was denied from point-blank range by an excellent save from Moritz Nicolas.
As Gladbach continued to toil with no threat, Freiburg added their second in the 74th minute. Grifo initiated a counter-attack and found Maximilian Eggestein in the box. His low cross was parried by Nicolas straight into the path of Matanović, who tapped home to double Freiburg's lead.
Haris Tabaković had a goal disallowed for offside in the 83rd minute, but two minutes later the Borussia striker did find the net with a goal that counted, powering home a header from Kevin Stöger's corner. The visitors pushed for an equaliser in the closing stages, and almost found it when Tabaković was denied by a crucial last-ditch challenge from Christian Günter in the 93rd minute.
Man of the Match: Matthias Ginter
The former Gladbach defender put in a commanding performance, capped by the crucial opening goal. Ginter's finish was impressive, showing great technique to volley home from close range.
Beyond his goal, the centre-back was a calming presence in Freiburg's defence, helping limit Gladbach to just two shots on target despite their possession advantage. His positioning and reading of the game were exemplary throughout, and he played a key role in helping Freiburg record their tenth consecutive match without defeat against Borussia.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Freiburg 2.39 - Gladbach 0.89
Fastest player: Franck Honorat (Gladbach), 35.07 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 2-1 by Haris Tabaković (Gladbach), 12 per cent
Most pressed player: Haris Tabaković (Gladbach), 20 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Patrick Osterhage (Freiburg), +3.09
Fantasy Heroes: Haris Tabaković (Gladbach, 304 Points), Matthias Ginter (Freiburg, 260 Points), Moritz Nicolas (Gladbach, 226 Points)
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