23rd matchday
Furious home success: Gladbach celebrates its first win of the second half of the season
The Gladbach players celebrate the clear home win against VfL Bochum. photo
© Marius Becker/dpa
In the second half of the season, Gladbach didn’t achieve much in the first five games, only two goals and two points. But Borussia celebrated a brilliant 5-2 home win against Bochum.
The goals in front of 53,196 spectators in Gladbach’s Borussia Park were scored by Nathan Ngoumou (28th minute), Julian Weigl (35th) with a penalty kick, Rocco Reitz (72nd), Jordan Siebatcheu and Franck Honorat (90th + 6th). Philipp Hofmann (75th) and Keven Schlotterbeck (88th) scored for Bochum to make it 2:4.
The Bochum team have to look back down in the table just one week after their much-noticed 3-2 home win against FC Bayern Munich and missed out on keeping Gladbach at bay with a second away win this season. Instead, after Bochum’s seventh defeat in foreign stadiums, Borussia overtook VfL again.
The game was kicked off ten minutes late by referee Sven Jablonski because there was an increased volume of traffic on the roads and delays in train traffic as the numerous Bochum fans arrived. Some VfL fans still missed the late kick-off – and almost missed their team’s lead.
Bernardo poked the ball over the goal line after a corner (3rd), but the VAR overturned the goal because of a previous handball by the Brazilian. This scene was like a wake-up call for Gladbach, who then dominated the game and rewarded themselves with two goals in the first half. First Ngoumou scored from a corner, and seven minutes later Weigl made it 2-0 from the penalty spot. Matús Bero had previously fouled Manu Kone in the penalty area.
Gladbach’s half-time lead was almost even higher: Florian Neuhaus scored after a one-two with Siebatcheu. But the VAR also conceded this goal: Siebatcheu had held on to his jersey during his opponent Ivan Ordets’ one-two.
After the break, the Bochum team tried to increase the pressure and at least score the next goal – with moderate success. There was hardly any emphasis particularly from the midfield, where the guests were missing the suspended captain Anthony Losila as well as the injured Patrick Osterhage and Christopher Antwi-Adjei. Apart from the late goals from Hofmann and Schlotterbeck, Bochum’s last three-time offensive against Bayern Munich didn’t achieve much this time.
Quite different on the other side: Gladbach scored three more times after the break. Substitute Reitz scored the third goal with his header, Siebatcheu crowned Page’s good performance with the fourth goal for Borussia and Honorat ensured the final score.
This clear home win also consolidates the position of Borussia coach Gerardo Seoane. And it provides self-confidence ahead of Gladbach’s next two important games: first against second-to-last FSV Mainz 05 and then in the Rhine derby against 1. FC Köln.