Marco Rose’s brave Mönchengladbach gave one of the great surprises of the group stage when he passed a section in which Inter and Real Madrid were.
Your season so far
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Second of Group B: V2 E2 D2 GF16 GC9
Top scorer: Alassane Pléa (5)
21/10: Inter – Mönchengladbach 2-2 (Bensebaini 63 ‘pen, Hofmann 84’)
27/10: Mönchengladbach – Real Madrid 2-2 (Thuram 33′, 58′)
03/11: Shakhtar – Mönchengladbach 0-6 (Pléa 8 ‘, 26’, 78 ‘, Bondar 17’ pp, Bensebaini 44 ‘, Stindl 65’)
25/11: Mönchengladbach – Shakhtar 4-0 (Stindl 17 ‘pen, Elvedi 34’, Embolo 45 + 1 ‘, Wendt 77’)
01/12: Mönchengladbach – Inter 2-3 (Pléa 45 + 1 ‘, 76’)
09/12: Real Madrid – Mönchengladbach 2-0
In a nutshell: A team that scores easily and plays without fear.
The opinion of the UEFA.com reporter
The feat took place in Madrid on the sixth day despite the defeat of Gladbach. In their third appearance in the UEFA Champions League, the daring and courageous football of the “Colts” paid off.
I have previously written about their ambition and the goal of getting through the group stage. And despite being lucky at the last gasp with the favorable result at Inter – Shakhtar, Gladbach was worthy of qualification. In fact, few wanted to face off against the German club in the round of 16.
James Thorogood, Mönchengladbach reporter
That We have learned
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Overcoming such a tough group was quite an achievement, but Marco Rose’s talented and supportive team missed some experience at this level, conceding important goals that made him draw in the last minutes of his first two games and then succumbing to his nerves on matchday six.
The lesson will be learned after what happened, but the premise is clear to move on: depth, balance and faith in Rose’s vision, playing as if there was nothing to lose. Gladbach should not be underestimated despite the fact that they will play their first knockout matches in the UEFA Champions League.
Changes in the template
High: Julio Villalba
Low: László Bénes
Key stats
• Mönchengladbach’s 0-6 win at Shakhtar’s home on Matchday 3 equaled their biggest home win in the European Cup / UEFA Champions League. He had previously gone 0-6 at home to EP Larnaca in his first match at the tournament, back in September 1970.
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• Of the participants in the round of 16, only Porto (42.5%) had less possession than Gladbach (44.7%) in the group stage.
• Everyone is involved in the attack. The “colts” have had eight different scorers and seven different assistants during the group stage.
Who is in command?
A defender under Jürgen Klopp at Mainz during his playing years, the former Salzburg manager likes to bet on dynamic football. It’s fair to say that he made quite an impression in his first season and a half in command of the Prussian team.
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