A dramatic comeback to earn a point against the Foals

This was SC’s sixth game within the last two weeks, while Borussia came into this one on the back of two consecutive wins against Heidenheim. The atmosphere was fantastic before the game, with the home fans as loud as ever and the travelling supporters revealing a tifo for their team. The November rain made the pitch somewhat slippy, though that didn’t stop Freiburg, who made four changes from the Pokal game in midweek, from having the first chance.

Merlin Röhl was denied by Gladbach keeper Moritz Nicolas in the second minute in what was a good start for SC. Christian Streich’s wish of more aggression in duels was granted and Freiburg began strongly. After seven minutes, Lucas Höler had a great chance to make it 1-0 after Philipp Lienhart’s header, but could only put the ball into the arms of Nicolas. Just a minute later though, the forward went one better to open the scoring. Röhl, who received a nice ball from Kiliann Sildillia, lifted his head up to square it across the six-yard box for Höler, leaving him the simple task of scoring into an empty net.

Gladbach turn the game on its head

Alassane Plea came extremely close to levelling the game two minutes after Höler’s opener. The Frenchman drove forward after SC lost possession in midfield and tried his luck, narrowly missing the far post with his attempt. The first quarter of an hour had it all, with the game played at a high pace, chances coming for both sides and Freiburg deservedly leading. Röhl, who impressed in attacking midfield, had the next golden opportunity after 21 minutes. His header with his back to goal ultimately didn’t trouble Nicolas in between the sticks.

A well-worked free-kick routine by Gladbach resulted in them finding an equaliser in the 25th minute. Jordan Siebatcheu headed in from close range, somewhat against the run of play. The visitors then stunned the Europa-Park Stadion four minutes later, taking the lead through Plea. He was given too much space and carried the ball from the halfway line into the box before slotting home (29’). Two minutes after that, he narrowly hit one over the bar – the game had suddenly changed.

Gladbach were the dominant side at this point of the game, and were then awarded a penalty in the 37th minute after a VAR check. Noah Atubolu saved Julian Weigl’s first attempt, before the penalty had to be retaken – once again, VAR was involved after spotting that Atubolu was off his line prior to the penalty being taken. Weigl stepped up a second time and converted his spot-kick to put Borussia 3-1 up. SC failed to record another chance on goal before the break, while Nathan N’Goumou nearly added to Gladbach’s lead. Fortunately for the hosts, he was unable to find the target, only hitting the post. “We were sitting in the dressing room feeling like we were in a bad movie,” Streich said about the mood at half time.

Gladbach allow Freiburg to find the way back into the game

The second half began with Mönchengladbach allowing the hosts more of the ball, only putting them under pressure once they reached the edge of the penalty box – as Streich had predicted. SC were forced to turn away from goal to play their way out of pressure, leading to a lack of goalscoring opportunities. They were left waiting for the Foals to make a mistake or to catch them off guard, of which there were few at the hour mark. The visitors were instead waiting for opportunities to counter, leaving SC to dictate the flow of the game.

The 61st minute saw Freiburg come close to finding the back of the net again. Höler was able to redirect a cross from Vincenzo Grifo, but the angle was too tight for substitute Noah Weißhaupt. Shortly after, Sildillia played in a cross that was cleared by the Foals, before a shot from Grifo was caught by Moritz Nicolas. Atubolu was then called upon to deny a powerful effort from Robin Hack (65′).

SC fight back

Gladbach’s luck eventually ran out, as Freiburg were rewarded for their efforts with the equaliser. Höler played through to Weißhaupt, who smashed the ball into the back of the net to make it 3-2 (70′). The fans were back on their feet, loudly cheering on their team, as SC kept their foot on the gas. Sildillia cut the ball back to Höler in the 80th minute, but his first-time shot was caught by Nicolas. Freiburg were the more active side at this point, creating chance after chance for themselves. The Foals nearly slipped up and conceded an own goal after Grifo’s cross was nearly headed into their own net. Instead, it crashed off the bar (81′).

SC had fought hard to get back into the game at this point, and fully deserved an equaliser. Micheal Gregoritsch was able to get a head on a corner kick, but his effort was parried by Nicolas. Atubolu even came up into attack in the dying minutes, trying to get on the end of one of the many crosses his teammates were delivering into Gladbach’s penalty area. Weißhaupt was then taken down inside the box after chasing a ball that was heading towards the goalline.

Grifo stepped up to take it, coolly converting from the spot to net a well-deserved equaliser and setting off wild celebrations in the stands, (90’+6). The team had displayed an incredible fighting spirit and had come back to earn a point in dramatic fashion in a 3-3 draw. In the end, the team have to “Be satisfied with the result,” said Höler. “However, I believe we could have gotten more from the game.” For his part, Streich wasn’t satisfied with the team’s defensive performance, but was pleased with what he saw after the break. “The team managed to keep a cool head. They were able to maintain their shape. In the end, it’s a very good and extremely deserved draw for us.”

Photo: Achim Keller