Classy Mönchengladbach catch Celtic cold
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Article summary
Second-half goals from Lars Stindl and André Hahn gave an impressive Borussia Mönchengladbach a 2-0 victory at Celtic, taking them right back into Group C contention.
Article top media content
Article body
Borussia Mönchengladbach climbed off the bottom of Group C with an impressive away victory against Celtic.
The Foals controlled the opening 45 minutes at Celtic Park, despite injuries to several key players. Craig Gordon was forced into smart saves from Ibrahima Traoré and Jonas Hofmann, before Scott Sinclair delivered a warning to the visitors with a fierce effort that flew just off target.
Borussia eventually got the goal their dominance warranted just before the hour, Lars Stindl beating Gordon from a tight angle after brilliant work to retrieve possession from André Hahn. The provider then turned scorer to put the game beyond the hosts' reach with a composed finish late on, Hahn racing through to fire high into the net.
Key player: André Hahn (Mönchengladbach)
The former Augsburg forward delivered one of the better displays of his career, setting up Stindl's opener before lashing into the roof of Gordon's net to put the seal on a very important three points for Gladbach.
Four into three works for Gladbach
André Schubert stole a tactical march before kick-off with his decision to play a back four. The expectation was that he would deploy his preferred three centre-backs, but having name-checked the threat of Sinclair and James Forrest in the build-up, perhaps it was no surprise to see Schubert revert to a back four. As Christoph Kramer and Tobias Strobl offered further protection in front, Die Fohlen succeeded in emasculating Celtic's attacking menace. And with Borussia having laid the groundwork in the first half, Stindl and Hahn made their dominance count in the second for a deserved victory.
Stand-ins take centre stage
Raffael and Thorgan Hazard have been in excellent form this term, yet Stindl and Hahn filled the void left by the Foals' first-choice attacking duo with superb showings of their own. With Schubert set to have a full complement of forwards available for the teams' next meeting in a fortnight's time, the Gladbach coach faces a selection headache.
Reporters' views
Alex O'Henley, Celtic (@UEFAcomAlexO)
A "monster" performance is what Schubert wanted and he was rewarded with a display of grit, determination and tactical discipline which earned Gladbach's first win in Group C. Both clubs had targeted three points to gain an edge in the race for third place, but even without several key players the visitors were always more composed and carried the greater danger. Die Fohlen will now be confident of opening up a wider gap in the return fixture. For Celtic and Brendan Rodgers, it looks like an uphill struggle to be involved in European football beyond Christmas.
Matthew Howarth, Mönchengladbach (@UEFAcomMattH)
Mönchengladbach have faced some tough away trips since qualifying for the UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time in 2014/15, but this was without doubt their most mature showing. The Bundesliga side defended superbly, particularly after taking the lead, and will go into their next game with the Scottish champions with hopes of reaching the knockout stage for the first time.