Foals claim 2-0 win in Fürth

Matchday 29 saw Borussia Mönchengladbach secure a commanding 2-0 victory over SpVgg Greuther Fürth. Marcus Thuram and Alassane Plea both found the net in the first half to make it three wins in four games for the Foals.

Borussia dominated the first half and took a deserved 2-0 lead into the break. After failing to convert a string of chances in the opening stages, Marcus Thuram finally broke the deadlock with a tidy finish one-on-one after 18 minutes. A second followed just six minutes later when Stefan Lainer was fouled in the box, allowing Alassane Plea to score from the penalty spot. The Foals mostly set about defending their lead in the second half, with the home side taking more control of the game, albeit without creating any real danger. Some good counterattacking opportunities went begging for visitors, but there was never any doubt that the three points would be coming back to Gladbach.

TEAM NEWS

Head coach Adi Hütter made two changes to the side that started the 1-1 draw with Mainz last week, with von Ramy Bensebaini and Lars Stindl replaced by Joe Scally and Marcus Thuram. Goalkeeper Yann Sommer had a back-three of Matthias Ginter, Jordan Beyer and Nico Elvedi ahead of him, while Scally and Stefan Lainer took up the left and right wing-back positions respectively. Manu Koné and Florian Neuhaus partnered up in the centre of midfield, with Thuram, Alassane Plea and Breel Embolo forming the three-man attack.

The Foals were without Ramy Bensebaini (thigh problems), Luca Netz (muscular problems), Tony Jantschke (Covid-19) and Marvin Friedrich (abnormal blood test results following Covid-19). Jonas Hofmann did return to the squad after recovering from his muscle strain, however, and made his comeback in the second half.

FIRST-HALF HIGHLIGHTS

2’: Almost the opener for the Foals. Neuhaus arrives late in the box to fire a loose ball at goal, but it’s deflected behind for a corner.

6’: Thuram is played in behind the defence, but he is kept out by Fürth goalkeeper Linde.

9’: Embolo brilliantly heads the ball down for Lainer, but the Austrian can’t quite get a shot away.

18: A deserved opener! Plea neatly puts Thuram through on goal and this time he can find a way past the goalkeeper. 1-0 to Borussia.

24: That’s number two. Tillman brings down Lainer in the box and a penalty is given after a VAR review. Plea steps up and coolly converts. 2-0 to Borussia.  

29’: Koné lines up a shot from a good 25 yards but the ball flies just wide of the target.

30’: First chance for the hosts. Griesbeck climbs highest from a corner, but his header drops wide of the post.

42’: Thuram tries a low shot from around twelve yards but can’t quite find the target.

SECOND-HALF HIGHLIGHTS

58’: Leweling fizzes a ball across the box, but Hrgota is a little too far away to make contact in the centre.

64’: A first foray forward from the Foals this half. Scally lays the ball off for Plea to shoot, but Linde can make a fairly routine save.

69’: Thuram could have wrapped it up there. He’s in one-on-one again, but he can’t beat Linde from a tight angle.

70’: Leweling gets to the byline and crosses for Ngankam to head at goal, but he gets his lines wrong.

74’: Neuhaus sticks the ball in the back of the net after rounding the goalkeeper, but the referee gives a foul against Thuram for holding onto a defender off the ball.

77’: A well-worked free-kick routine almost makes it 3-0, with Stindl’s pull-back finding Beyer in the box, only for the defender to drag his shot wide.

MATCH FACTS

Fürth: Linde – Bauer, Griesbeck, Viergever – Asta (67’ Ngankam), Itter (86’ Abiama), Christiansen, Green (78’ Nielsen), Tillman (78’ Raschl) – Leweling, Hrgota (86’ Pululu)

Borussia: Sommer – Ginter, Beyer, Elvedi – Lainer (88’ Herrmann), Scally – Koné (88’ Bénes), Neuhaus (75’ Kramer) – Thuram (82’ Hofmann), Plea (75’ Stindl) – Embolo // Unused subs: Sippel, Noß, Bennetts

Goals: 0-1 Thuram (18’), 0-2 Plea (24’, pen.)

Attendance: 13,000

Yellow cards: Tillman

Referee: Tobias Stieler (Hamburg)

Joe Scally replaced the injured Ramy Bensebaini in the starting XI
Marcus Thuram opened the scoring after 18 minutes
Marcus Thuram and Alassane Plea celebrate together after going 2-0 up

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