Pro Sports

Gladbach beats Bochum at 16th attempt in Bundesliga

Posted October 31, 2021 7:00 am

By CIARÃN FAHEY

Augsburg's Alfred Finnbogason celebrates scoring during the Bundesliga soccer match between FC Augsburg - VfB Stuttgart at WWK Arena in Augsburg, Germany, Sunday Oct. 31, 2021. (Matthias Balk/dpa via AP) The Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) - Borussia MÃ¶nchengladbach finally beat Bochum in the Bundesliga at the 16th attempt with a 2-1 win over the promoted visitors on Sunday.

First-half goals from Alassane Plea and Jonas Hofmann were enough for Gladbach's first win over Bochum in Germany's top tier since a 2-1 victory in September 1997, though the home team was forced to hold on.

Danny Blum scored Bochum's consolation with a brilliant free kick in the 86th minute and the visitors pushed hard for the equalizer. Yann Sommer pulled off a good save in injury time and Gladbach saw out its fourth league win of the season.

Markus Thuram thought he'd scored the home team's third goal to seal it after Blum's goal, but the French forward's goal was chalked off for offside.

The clubs previously met in 2011 when Gladbach denied Bochum promotion in the two-legged relegation/promotion playoff. Bochum had to wait until last season before earning promotion directly as second division champion.

The club is 14th in the 18-team first division with three wins and one draw from its opening 10 games.

Gladbach routed Bayern Munich 5-0 in the German Cup on Wednesday to deal the Bavarian powerhouse its biggest loss in 43 years. Bayern answered with a 5-2 win at Union Berlin on Saturday.

AUGSBURG RELIEF

Augsburg claimed a much-needed Bundesliga win against Stuttgart with goals to spare earlier Sunday, winning 4-1 to ease the pressure on coach Markus Weinzierl.

Weinzierl's team produced its best performance of the season to come from behind after Chris FÃ¼hrich's early goal for Stuttgart as Augsburg claimed its second league win from 10 games.

FÃ¼hrich scored in the seventh minute as the visitors were rewarded for making the better start, but Reece Oxford equalized with a header from a corner in the 30th.

Jeffrey Gouweleeuw scored after another corner in the 53rd, and Florian Niederlechner made it 3-1 in the 72nd before Alfred Finnbogason completed the scoring in the 81st.

Augsburg remained in the relegation zone, one point behind Stuttgart which lost its fourth league game of the season.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Stuttgart's Borna Sosa, left, and Augsburg's Alfred Finnbogason go for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Stuttgart and Augsburg at the WWK Arena in Augbusrg, Germany, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021. (Matthias Balk/dpa via AP) The Associated Press

Monchengladbach's Alassane Plea, left, celebrates scoring with teammates during the Bundesliga soccer match between Monchengladbach and VfL Bochum at Borussia-Park, Monchengladbach, Germany, Sunday Oct. 31, 2021. (Federico Gambarini/dpa via AP) The Associated Press

Monchengladbach's Jonas Hofmann scores during the Bundesliga soccer match between Monchengladbach and VfL Bochum at Borussia-Park, Monchengladbach, Germany, Sunday Oct. 31, 2021. (Federico Gambarini/dpa via AP) The Associated Press

Monchengladbach's Kouadio Kone, left, and Bochum's Takuma Asano battle for the ball during the Bundesliga soccer match between Monchengladbach and VfL Bochum at Borussia-Park, Monchengladbach, Germany, Sunday Oct. 31, 2021. (Federico Gambarini/dpa via AP) The Associated Press

Article Comments

Article Categories
Content Providers MLS Pro Sports Soccer Sports Sports Leagues Sports Types

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.