BMG misses the connection to the top
FC Augsburg surprises hibernating Gladbach
January 21, 2024, 7:33 p.m
FC Augsburg have only managed one win in their last 22 Bundesliga games away from home. In the first half at Borussia Park not everything speaks for a success at Borussia Mönchengladbach. But four minutes are enough for the turnaround. A player at Gladbach is celebrating an acclaimed comeback.
Thanks to a strong second half, FC Augsburg stormed the Borussia Park fortress. Coach Jess Thorup’s team won 2-1 (0-1) in Mönchengladbach after falling behind and moved past the disappointing Fohlenelf in the table. This ended a series of eight home games without defeat for the hosts.
Phillip Tietz (47th) and Arne Engels (51st) took advantage of Borussia’s deep sleep phase immediately after the restart, the brace secured FCA’s first win on the Lower Rhine since 2015. Gladbach failed again despite Jordan’s lead (26th). the task of winning two Bundesliga games in a row – the last time this was achieved was in March 2022.
Coach Gerardo Seoane called for Gladbach to raise their “aggressiveness level” before the game. However, his team had no answer to FCA’s intense start, the guests disrupted with force and quickly created chances. In the best, Ruben Vargas failed with a header past the brilliantly reacting keeper Moritz Nicolas (12th).
Protests also in Gladbach
There was an almost ten-minute interruption because both fan camps repeatedly threw objects onto the lawn in protest against the planned investor involvement in the DFL. The break came at just the right time for Borussia to reorganize themselves. With success: After a cross from Alassane Plea, Jordan pushed the ball over the line from the crowd for his fourth goal of the season.
Plea led Borussia onto the field as captain for the first time – also because Florian Neuhaus once again only sat on the bench and was only substituted on in the 71st minute. The former national player is said to be considering saying goodbye this winter. Neuhaus saw a tough game from his seat: An attempt from his own half by Robin Hack, a two-goal scorer in the 3-1 win against Stuttgart a week earlier, was the biggest upset (34′).
After the break, Augsburg came out of the locker room wide awake again – and this time they were rewarded twice within just a few minutes. First Tietz was allowed to head in from close range to equalize, and shortly afterwards Engels finished freely in the penalty area. His right-footed shot landed in the far corner, unstoppable for Nicolas.
Borussia reacted helplessly to the shock and there was no sign of a reaction. Instead, Augsburg was even closer to the third goal, and the Seoane team only pushed for an equalizer in the final phase. Substitute Stefan Lainer, who made his Bundesliga comeback after recovering from cancer, was also there.