Bundesliga, 9th matchday – Sunday: Gladbach wins against Bremen, Freiburg and Mainz play a draw

Borussia Mönchengladbach – Werder Bremen 4:1 (3:0)

Borussia Mönchengladbach ended the 9th matchday of the Bundesliga with a clear victory. The team won 4:1 (3:0) without any problems against disappointing Bremen. The foundation for the success in front of 54,042 spectators in the sold-out Borussia Park was laid by Alassane Pléa (11th) and an own goal by Marco Friedl (12th). Franck Honorat (45th) increased the score before the half-time whistle. After the break, substitute Kevin Stöger (67th) made the decision, Keke Topp (76th) scored the consolation goal for Bremen. Werder’s Mitchell Weiser saw a yellow-red card (82′). With the win, the Gladbachers move past Werder in the table. In ninth place, the foals are only three points behind the international places.

As a reward for their courageous initial phase, the Gladbachers received a little help from the guests. The national striker Tim Kleindienst was able to successfully intercept a failed cross pass from the Bremen defense team. Alassane Pléa also used his cross thanks to Leonardo Bittencourt, from whose knee the ball rolled unstoppably over the line. The second goal shortly afterwards was also initiated by a bad pass from Bremen: this time Werder’s goalkeeper Michael Zetterer was responsible. Bremen captain Marco Friedl then pushed the ball into his own goal after a sharp cross from Gladbach’s Franck Honorat. The Frenchman scored the 3-0 himself shortly before the break. There was absolutely nothing to be seen from Bremen offensively in the first half.

That changed at the beginning of the second half when substitute Derrick Köhn (47th) failed due to a strong reflex from goalkeeper Moritz Nicolas. However, control of the game remained with the home team. Tim Kleindienst (52′) and Ko Itakura (54′) missed further chances to make it 4-0. Substitute Kevin Stöger did this a short time later, pushing Kleindienst’s flat cross over the line from close range without any pressure. Keke Topp’s first Bundesliga goal brought no more tension into the game, even though the 20-year-old hit the crossbar with his head (90th + 1).

SC Freiburg – 1. FSV Mainz 05 0-0

SC Freiburg and FSV Mainz 05 drew early on Sunday evening with a goalless draw. Mainz have been unbeaten in eight away games across the season and have thus equaled their club record. By gaining points, the Rheinhessen were able to improve to twelfth place. SC Freiburg is tied for 6th place in the table behind Leverkusen and Dortmund.

The 34,400 spectators hardly saw any highlights in the first quarter of an hour. Both teams concentrated on a stable defense, duels in midfield characterized the tough game. National striker Jonathan Burkardt’s quick comeback had little effect on FSV and ended after 45 minutes. After almost 20 minutes, Freiburg increased the pressure and the guests were forced onto the defensive during this phase. However, the Breisgauers were unable to create any real chances to score. Things first became dangerous in the 28th minute of the game, but Burkardt didn’t get the ball to the Freiburg goal after a corner. Six minutes later, Junior Adamu had the SC lead on the other side, but FSV goalkeeper Robin Zentner reacted strongly.

At the start of the second half, Burkardt remained in the dressing room and Nadiem Amiri took over the Mainz captain’s armband. The encounter was still lacking in exciting scenes. It wasn’t until the 59th minute that Amiri had an opportunity, but SC keeper Noah Atubolu was there. The hard-fought game also took place predominantly in the midfield in this phase. The changes of both coaches did not change the course of the game.

This article will continue to be updated. Read the match reports from Friday and Saturday here.