Borussia Mönchengladbach thrashed Werder Bremen 4-2, sending their hosts down to Bundesliga 2 for the first time since 1980/81.

Werder Bremen 2-4 Borussia Mönchengladbach
Goals: 0-1 Stindl (3'), 0-2 Thuram (52'), 0-3 Bensebaini (58'), 0-4 Neuhaus, 1-4 Rashica (80'), 2-4 Füllkrug (83)

The game was only a few minutes old when Lars Stindl made it 1-0. Denis Zakaria - in the team for the rested Christoph Kramer - laid a delightful pre-assist on with a backheel for Stefan Lainer, and he cut back for the Gladbach captain, who steered his 14th goal of the season into the bottom corner. Bremen should have got back on level terms when Josh Sargent teed up Davie Selke, but Foals goalkeeper Yann Sommer pulled off a wonderful double save, and the chance went begging. Gladbach thought they had pulled further clear when Marcus Thuram fired the ball beyond Sommer's opposite number, Jiri Pavlenka, but the flag went off for offside against the young Frenchman. Lainer should have added to Gladbach's advantage when he headed Stindl's corner over from close-range, and Felix Brych's whistle for half-time went with the Foals just one goal to the good.

Theodor Gebre Selassie got plenty of power behind a shot from the edge of the Gladbach box soon after the restart, but Sommer was able to tip his effort over the bar, and Gladbach made it 2-0 moments later when Thuram played a smart one-two to take Ömer Toprak out of the equation before sliding his eighth goal of the campaign low past Pavlenka. Ramy Bensebaini then got his name on the scoresheet, his looping header from Stindl's free-kick leaving Pavlenka with no chance. Florian Neuhaus looked to have put the game beyond any doubt before Oscar Wendt replaced Stindl as captain for the final 15 minutes, before he bids farewell to the club this summer. Bremen pulled two goals back through Milot Rashica and Nicolas Füllkrug, but it was too little, too late for the hosts, who are relegated for the first time in 40 years.

Match stats

• Stindl's 14 league goals this season are a career best. With eight goals in 22 games against Bremen, Die Grün-Weißen are his favourite opponents.
• Borussia Dortmund-bound coach Marco Rose leaves Gladbach with a record of 68 games played, 33 won, 15 drawn and 20 lost.
• The Foals are unbeaten in their last 11 Bundesliga meetings with Bremen, winning eight.
• Bremen are relegated for the first time since 1980. The four-time Bundesliga champions boast more top-flight seasons than any other club.
• Selke's narrow miss would have made it a career best seven goals and four assists in all competitions for Sargent this season.
• Thomas Schaaf took charge of Bremen for the 645th time in all competitions.

Watch: Moisander: "A very sad day"

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Line-ups

Bremen: Pavlenka - Gebre Selassie, Toprak (Agu 79'), Moisander (c), Friedl - Eggestein, Mbom (Osako 55') - Sargent (Rashica 67'), Bittencourt (Möhwald 79'), Schmid - Selke (Füllkrug 67')
Subs: Zetterer, Erras, Rieckamnn, Bargfrede
Out: Augustinsson (unconfirmed), Dinkci (suspended), Groß (suspended), Plogmann (knee), Veljkovic (match fitness), Woltemade (knee)
Coach: Thomas Schaaf

Gladbach: Sommer (c) - Lainer, Ginter, Elvedi, Bensebaini (Jantschke 84') - Zakaria, Neuhaus - Lazaro (Wendt 74'), Stindl (Hofmann 74'), Wolf (Herrmann 84') - Thuram (Embolo 74')
Subs: Sippel, Kramer, Plea, Beyer
Out: Doucoure (Achilles' tendon), Traore (knock)
Coach: Marco Rose 

About the clubs

SV Werder Bremen

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Borussia Mönchengladbach

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