Two assists for Hack on his starting XI debut

Robin Hack made his first appearance in the Foals’ Bundesliga starting XI in the 2-2 draw against SV Werder Bremen and set up both goals for the home side.

When looking at Borussia’s starting line-up for Bundesliga Matchday 15’s clash against Werder Bremen, a number of the fans may have been slightly surprised to see Robin Hack listed up front next to Alassane Plea, particularly because the 25-year-old usually plays on the left-wing or as an attacking midfielder. Hack was able to celebrate not only his first Bundesliga starting XI debut of the season on Friday night, but also his debut appearance as a striker for the Foals, and his outstanding performance certainly showed head coach Gerado Seoane that he put his trust in the right person.

Despite being new to the position, Hack seemed to be right at home alongside Plea and played exceptionally well, shooting from distance on multiple occasions. “I told the coach in the run-up to the game that I’ll give my all, no matter where I play,” explained Borussia’s number 25 after the 2-2 draw. His first assist, which led to the Foals’ equaliser just after the break, was certainly evidence of this. After pinball in the Werder penalty, Hack picked up the ball from a deflection and shielded it from the Green-Whites, spotted Rocco Reitz, and fed him in for the 21-year-old’s first goal of the game. The Germany U21s international levelled the game for the Foals with a low first-time strike from the edge of the box.

Straight after half time, Hack was again the penultimate cog in the wheel of a wonderful Foals attack. Firstly, Luca Netz played a superb pass into Hack. He then picked up the ball in behind the Werder defence and the 25-year-old found himself through on goal. But instead of taking it himself, Hack again looked up and found the better-positioned Reitz in the middle. “Just before the second goal, I thought Robin was going to go alone. It’s great that he saw me and played me the ball,” said Reitz, and he made light work of beating Bremen goalkeeper Michael Zetterer to claim a brace and put the Foals 2-1 ahead. “The goal is mostly all about Robin,” said Reitz, heaping praise upon his teammate.

In his 44th Bundesliga appearance, Hack broke his personal record by providing two assists in one game. Gerado Seoane was full of praise regarding the Foal’s performance. “Robin worked extremely hard and helped the team with his individual quality. We know that he’s strong in other positions, but he did really well for us up front.”