300 appearances for Jantschke, Plea scores his 50th goal

Two Foals reached impressive milestones with the club in yesterday’s Bundesliga fixture: Alassane Plea scored his 50th competitive goal, while Tony Jantschke made his 300th competitive appearance for Borussia.

“Alassane Plea oohooho” echoed around the away end after the final whistle as the forward celebrated his two goal tally with the fans. The modest 30-year-old was visibly enjoying the atmosphere and waved to the stands for a while in appreciation, a moment which felt incredibly special after having to wait over ten months for the day to come. The Frenchman will have experienced déjà vu yesterday after scoring against Bochum, as his last goal for the club was against the same team during the 2-1 defeat on 8th November 2022. By making it 2-0 to the Foals in his 181st competitive game, Plea notched his 50th goal for the Foals.

“In order to gain confidence, a creative player like Plea has to get goals or assists under their belt,” explained head coach Gerado Seoane during the week, when questioned about the forward’s current mindset. His theory proved correct from Alassane’s display of brilliance in Bochum, starting with his assist for Florian Neuhaus’ opening goal in the 27th minute. This immediately boosted the Frenchman’s confidence, and he went on to contribute to most of Borussia’s attacks, for which he was rewarded by getting on the scoresheet twice for the away side. Plea nodded the ball home into the left corner unmarked from three meters out after Max Wöber’s header reached him following a corner from the right hand side (37’).

Jordan played the Frenchman in down the left wing shortly before the break, where he cut in at pace and sent a curler into the far corner, leaving VfL keeper Manuel Riemann with no chance. “Lasso had a difficult start to the season like the rest of us with a few shaky performances, but we never doubted his ability. He brought real quality to the game against Bochum and put their defence under constant pressure,” said Seoane. “I’m really pleased for Lasso,” added Neuhaus. “When he gets into a good position, he’s capable of playing that clinical final pass or taking on the keeper himself. I hope we get to see more of his talent in the next few weeks.”

“Something to be proud of when my career is over”

Tony Jantschke was also able to celebrate a milestone yesterday, as his substitution for Rocco Reitz in the 89th minute marked his 300th appearance for the club. “Achievements like this aren’t so important for me right now, but I’ll definitely be proud of it after my career,” said the 33-year-old, who has featured for the Foals over the course of 16 different Bundesliga seasons, something only Uwe Kamps and Christian Hochstätter have also done. “I feel really privileged to play for a club which has produced so many footballing legends. If my own name eventually goes down in the record books, that wouldn’t be so bad,” shared Jantschke.

The 33-year-old was forced to once again work hard with his team to defend their lead in the final minutes of yesterday’s clash, as Bochum attempted to get back into the game by putting in many crosses and long balls over the top. “We had to throw our bodies on the line and there were a few nervy moments, but we just gave our all and ultimately deserved to win the match”, explained Jantschke.