Borussia win 4-1 in St. Truiden friendly

Borussia won 4-1 in a friendly against Belgian top division side VV St. Truiden. Nathan Ngoumou, Patrick Herrmann, Hannes Wolf and Manu Koné netted for the Foals at their FohlenPlatz training ground.

After an uneventful start, the match began to pick up pace from the middle of the first half. Nathan Ngoumou converted Borussia’s first chance to take the lead in the 24th minute. The Foals continued to pile on the pressure and extended their lead to 3-0 before the break through Patrick Herrmann in the 28th minute and Hannes Wolf in the 42nd. After half time, there were chances for both sides. Firstly, St. Truiden reduced the deficit with an own goal from Hannes Wolf, before Manu Koné rounded off the scoring at 4-1 in the 77th minute.

TEAM NEWS

In front of goalkeeper Jan Olschowsky, there was a back four consisting of Franck Honorat, Marvin Friedrich, Tony Reitz and Lukas Ullrich. Manu Koné and Hannes Wolf began in defensive midfield, while Patrick Herrmann, Robin Hack, Nathan Ngoumou and Alassane Plea started in attack.

As well as the Borussia players who were away on international duty, Jonas Omlin (shoulder operation), Nico Elvedi (recovering from a knee strain), Christoph Kramer (MCL strain), Tony Jantschke (muscle problems), Julian Weigl (knee ligament strain), Florian Neuhaus (resting) and Jordan (illness) were unavailable for the friendly. Seoane’s side were therefore bolstered by six stars from the U23s: Jonathan Foss, Tony Reitz, Phil Kemper, Moustafa Moustafa, Jacob Italiano, Ryan Naderi, Shio Fukuda and Mika Schroers.

FIRST HALF HIGHLIGHTS

24’: Borussia take the lead with their first effort on goal. Ngoumou cuts inside from the left and curls the ball into the far corner from around 20 yards out to make it 1-0.

28’: Borussia extend their lead immediately! After a long diagonal pass from Hack, the visiting goalkeeper Coppens can’t quite get the ball under control. Herrmann pounces and slots home from a tight angle for 2-0.

41’: After good build-up play, Plea cuts the ball back to Hack, whose shot is cleared off the line for a corner.

42’: Borussia essentially wrap up the game at 3-0. The guests fail to clear a corner, Herrmann lets fly from the right of the penalty area and Wolf gets his foot to the ball and deflects it into the net.

SECOND-HALF HIGHLIGHTS

49‘: Ngoumou sets off down the left-hand side and gets a shot off, but it goes just wide of the far post.

60’: The Belgians get a goal back. Wolf looks to give the ball back to Olschowsky from near the hallway line, but accidentally lobs his keeper. The ball bounces into the empty goal to make it 3-1.

77’: Borussia restore their three-goal lead. Fukuda, who’s only been on the pitch for a few minutes, wins the ball back and passes to Koné. The Frenchman’s spectacular finish from around 25 yards out makes it 4-1 to the Foals.

83’: The ball is crossed in from the left-hand side. There’s a bit too much on it, however, meaning Herrmann’s header goes over the bar.

STATISTICS

Borussia: Olschowsky – Honorat (Italiano 62’), Friedrich, T. Reitz (Foss 46’), Ullrich – Koné, Wolf – Herrmann, Hack, Ngoumou (Fukuda 74’) – Plea (Naderi 80’) // Bench: Sippel, Kemper, Moustafa, Schroers

Goals: 1-0 Ngoumou (24’), 2­-0 Herrmann (28’), 3-0 Wolf (42’), 3-1 Wolf (61’,OG), 4-1 Koné (77’)

Attendance: 525

Referee: Thibaut Scheer

MATCH REACTION

Patrick Herrmann: It did me good to have another full 90 minutes under my belt, because a friendly is always very different to training. And of course it’s great to have chipped in with a goal myself. This kind of small victory is good for the psyche. I can take confidence from this game, because it’s not always easy when you, like me, haven’t played at all in the last few weeks. But I’m professional enough to come through this situation and continue to step up.

Head coach Gerardo Seoane: The main objective of this friendly was to allow players like Jan Olschowsky, Marvin Friedrich, Manu Koné, Hannes Wolf, Patrick Herrmann and Robin Hack, who’ve hardly appeared in the last few weeks, to play a full 90 minutes. I’m therefore very pleased that none of them got injured and they all managed to complete the game. It’s always about putting yourself in contention for the tasks ahead and being prepared for a possible chance. That’s why it makes me feel good to know that multiple players have 90 minutes under their belts and could appear in the next few weeks.