SC Freiburg took Borussia Mönchengladbach apart in a historic first half, using every trick in the book and making ice-cold use of their chances. The Gladbach side could not resist the 0:6 defeat in the second half either.
Whether Freiburg coach Christian Streich had envisaged a half-time score of 6:0 when he justified his choice of four-man defence on “DAZN” before the game by saying he did not want to hide offensively in Gladbach is rather unlikely. His team, with Demirovic replacing Jeong in the 2-1 defeat in Bochum, immediately put the coach’s request into practice and literally overran the Gladbach defence in the first half.
Freiburg ice-cold and in a frenzy
After just two minutes Eggestein converted a cross from Schade to take an early lead. Schade then headed in another cross, this time from Günter, to make it 2:0 (5th). Borussia, who played Thuram and Lainer for Stindl and Herrmann compared to the 1:4 defeat in Cologne, lacked grip in the duels from the start, while Freiburg played themselves into a frenzy.
But the home side were not only too late in the duels, they were also more than inadequate after resting balls. The other four goals of the first half were all scored after a resting ball – and the starting point was always Grifo’s fine foot. First, Lienhart headed in for 3:0 (12th), shortly afterwards Höfler was also on the spot with his head (19th) – and then it became historic: When Höler completed a header with his right shoulder, 0:5 was on the scoreboard after 25 minutes. Only one team had led as quickly in the Bundesliga, namely Gladbach itself, albeit at home in a 10-0 win over Braunschweig in 1984. No team had ever achieved this feat away from home.
Historic into the break
And another record was added: To Gladbach’s chagrin, Freiburg were awarded another free kick before the break, which Schlotterbeck headed in quite easily (37th). Six different goal scorers in half one was unprecedented in the Bundesliga.
After half a dozen, the Gladbachers had helplessness written all over their faces. Offensively, Borussia tried hard, but Zakaria (34th) and Koné (42nd) did not score more than two central goals.
In the second half, Freiburg clearly took their foot off the accelerator and reduced their excursions into the final offensive third. The main focus was more on the defence, which continued to be very secure. The Gladbachers, however, simply lacked the penetrating power to break down the Breisgau defence.
Höler on the roof of the net
The visitors also had the better chances in the closing stages, Höler only hitting the roof of the net after a spectacular volley (72.). Gladbach showed improvement in the second half, but the Foals were still denied a consolation goal: Hofmann’s goal on the outside of the net was the most dangerous action (73rd).
Kuriose series ends
In a match full of records, a curious series also came to an end: In 26 previous encounters between the two teams, the home team always won – but not this time. For Freiburg, the 6-0 win was also the first victory after three defeats in a row. For Gladbach it is the second defeat in a row – with a total of ten goals conceded.
For Gladbach, it continues next Saturday (3.30 p.m.) with an away game in Leipzig, while Freiburg host TSG Hoffenheim at the same time.
