First-half flurry guides Gladbach past toothless St. Pauli

Matchday 11 in the Bundesliga came to an end with an enticing fixture as Borussia Mönchengladbach hosted St.Pauli, in which the hosts ran out 2-0 winners.

Borussia Mönchengladbach made light work of their opponents from the Hanseatic city this evening as goals from Alasane Plèa and Tim Kleindienst paved the way to victory. Having grinded out a scoreless stalemate against RB Leipzig prior to the international break, Gerardo Seoane saw no reason to alter his starting eleven which paid off handsomely.

The hosts took the reins almost instantly with Franck Honorat particularly lively early on. Gladbach required all of 13 minutes to unlock the St.Pauli rearguard. A memorable 50th Bundesliga goal for Alasane Plèa as the Frenchman redirected Marvin Friedrich’s header to the net with an unorthodox knee. Just before the break, Die Fohlen doubled their advantage. Not even a VAR review could deny Tim Kleindienst whose delicate chip over Vasilj was measured to perfection.

A brief scare ensued after the break as Robin Braun was notified of a potential penalty for St.Pauli. Marvin Friedrich’s slide tackle on Morgan Guilavogui appeared somewhat rash at first, however Braun’s whistle never sounded for a spot-kick. Alexander Blessin’s men remained on the front foot until after the hour mark. At this juncture, Seoane looked to his bench and called for control as Florian Neuhaus and Kevin Stöger entered the fray. 

A couple of half chances fell the way of Neuhaus, but perhaps Guilavogui spurned the best of the opportunities for the visitors. A neat cross from Philipp Treu was met by the Guinean striker but dropped over Moritz Nicolas’ bar. The 27-year-old shot-stopper who has deputised brilliantly for Jonas Omlin enjoyed a quiet evening as Morgan Guilavogui’s tame shot neared the end marked only a second strike on target St.Pauli as Gladbach rise to sixth place in the Bundesliga table.