Back in the starting eleven, Lars Stindl put an exclamation mark against Greuther Fürth In the 4-0 win against the promoted side, Borussia’s captaincelebrated a feat that not many Gladbachers have achieved before him.
This was once again the Lars Stindl you want to see in Gladbach on Saturday. A captain who takes charge on the pitch. A driver whose razor-sharp passes can dissect a defensive line. Stindl set up three goals against the bottom team with precise and perfectly timed passes: Twice the 33-year-old set up Jonas Hofmann, once – after a great combination – Alassane Plea scored.
If it was a kind of creative break that coach Adi Hütter had prescribed for him in Mainz (1:1), when Stindl only came on as a substitute, it is clear that the Foals’ leader made the most of it. Stindl looked lively and eager to play, and almost scored himself after a fine pass from Plea. Only the post stood in the way of a goal in the 36th minute.
“I would have liked another goal for Lars,” said Hütter after the commanding home victory. Stindl, however, was satisfied even without a personal sense of achievement: “The fact that I was able to play my part in the success with three assists makes me very happy.”
Three direct assists in a Bundesliga match are a rare feat for the Foals. The last time Brazilian Raffael managed three assists in one match was six years ago, on 23 September 2015. The other four VfL professionals are Mike Hanke (10 April 2011), Marcel Ketelaer (25 May 2003), Stefan Effenberg (3 December 1994) and Karlheinz Pflipsen (24 September 1994).
