Matchday 21 in the Bundesliga saw Borussia Mönchengladbach draw 1-1 away at Arminia Bielefeld.
10,000 fans in the SchücoArena in Bielefeld saw the visiting Foals create the better chances in the first half, but it was actually the hosts who took the lead after 18 minutes, when Janni Serra curled an unstoppable shot into the top corner. Borussia responded well though and got back on level terms before the break thanks to Alassane Plea’s headed finish. Neither side took the game by the scruff of the neck in the second half, although both had decent chances. Nevertheless, there were to be no further goals and the spoils were shared.
TEAM NEWS
Hütter made two changes to the side that was beaten by Union Berlin two weeks ago, with Alassane Plea and Ramy Bensebaini coming into the side in place of now Juventus player Denis Zakaria and Luca Netz. The full line-up saw Matthias Ginter, Marvin Friedrich and Nico Elvedi form a back-three in front of Yann Sommer, with Bensebaini and Stefan Lainer taking up full-back positions. Florian Neuhaus and Manu Koné partnered up in central midfield, while Breel Embolo, Jonas Hofmann and Plea led the line.
The Foals were still without Lars Stindl for the trip to Bielefeld (knee), and Christoph Kramer was also ruled out following a positive Covid-19 test.
FIRST-HALF HIGHLIGHTS
5’: First decent chance for Borussia as Plea slips Hofmann through, but his shot from a tight angle is kept out by Ortega.
14’: Now the hosts with their first effort. Serra’s volley from the edge of the box is fairly straightforward for Sommer.
18’: Arminia take the lead. Serra cuts inside onto his left foot and fizzes a curling shot into the top corner. 1-0 to Bielefeld.
21’: Bensebaini’s low shot goes through the legs of the defender, but Ortega follows it well and can smother the ball.
22’: The ball is in the back of the net after Ginter’s header from a sweet Plea cross, but the flag goes up for offside.
24’: That was close! Hofmann’s corner finds Bensebaini, but his header drops the wrong side of the post.
38’: Deserved equaliser! Bensebaini’s cross to the back post is volleyed back across goal by Hofmann, and Plea powers a header past Ortega. 1-1.
45’: What a save by Sommer. Ramos’ header is sneaking inside the post, but the Swiss goalkeeper claws the ball away.
SECOND-HALF HIGHLIGHTS
46’: Ortega beats Hofmann to a loose ball, but his clearance hits De Medina on the arm. Referee Cortus decides against giving a penalty.
53’: A quick counterattack from the hosts sees Kunz in one-on-one with Sommer, with the Borussia keeper coming out on top.
65’: Ginter’s chipped cross into the box is met acrobatically by Plea, who isn’t far away from grabbing his second goal.
66’ Another fine stop from Sommer. He reacts brilliantly to keep out De Medina’s shot and the follow-up from Schöpf goes over.
73’: A drilled cross from Ginter finds Embolo in the centre and he tries to turn it in with the inside of his heel, but the ball doesn’t find the target.
MATCH FACTS
Arminia: Ortega – Brunner, Ramos, Nilsson, de Medina (71’ Bello) – Kunze (87’ Castro), Vasiliadis (63’ Schöpf), Wimmer, Okugawa (87’ Prietl), Krüger – Serra (71’ Klos)
Borussia: Sommer – Ginter, Friedrich, Elvedi – Lainer, Bensebaini – Koné, Neuhaus –Hofmann, Plea – Embolo (83’ Thuram) // Unused subs: Sippel, Jantschke, Beyer, Scally, Netz, Noß, Bénes, Herrmann
Goals: 1-0 Serra (18’), 1-1 Plea (38’)
Attendance: 10,000
Yellow cards: Kunze, Wimmer, Nilsson – Koné, Lainer, Plea
Referee: Benjamin Cortus (Röthenbach)
