Post-Match Report
"It's the nuances that make the difference in football"
There wasn't much more that could've been done to claim the first victory in an away game this season. A highly disputed penalty for Gladbach, which led to the final score of 1-1, prevented it. Even so, the big chance at a lucky punch still came when Serhou Guirassy put his header just past the right post. "90 minutes and four minutes of added time. Bitter. If he'd scored, we would've gone home with three points," said Nico Schlotterbeck: "I'm not accusing Serhou. We're just not satisfied. It's the nuances that make the difference in football."
After the convincing win away to Zagreb in the UEFA Champions League, the second victory in an away game in the Champions League after Bruges, the game at Gladbach brought BVB close to their first victory in an away game in the current Bundesliga season. The team had 15 shots on goal - more than in any other game (before the game, the average was 7.8). Their determination to win was especially clear from the number of tackles won: 59% in a total of 101 intense minutes in Mönchengladbach. Again, for comparison: in the last five away games, the percentage of tackles won was just under 49%.
"I would've liked to have stood there and said that we've solved the issue of the away games with a victory. We did a lot of things really well, and it's more the case that we lost two points rather than that we gained one," said sports director Sebastian Kehl. Jamie Gittens' goal nearly made the difference. The 20-year-old was the most dangerous player on the pitch, and despite close defending managed to get five shots on goal. He was involved in the most tackles out of all the other players (36), of which he won an impressive 58%. He also made the most sprints of any player (37). This season, Gittens has already scored nine goals in competitive games. In the Bundesliga, he is the top scorer on his team, with five goals and three assists.
However, the trend is moving in the right direction. Across all competitions, Sahin's team have been unbeaten in their last four games (two wins, two draws). Since the start of November, they have only lost one in seven games (four wins, two draws, one defeat).
"Next it's Barcelona, and then Hoffenheim. We need to keep working, we need to stay on it, we need to be ready If we can channel that, I hope that we'll win multiple games back-to-back," Nico Schlotterbeck announced.
Sahin will have been pleased to hear that...
Boris Rupert