TSG stun Gladbach with quick-fire double

Hoffenheim manager Markus Babbel made three changes to the starting eleven that was beaten by VfB Stuttgart in the club's last game. Isaac Vorsah returned to the centre of defence in place of Jannik Vestergaard, while Tobias Weis replaced Firmino. Peniel Mlapa was dropped to the bench, meaning a starting berth for Sejad Salihovic.

Cagey opening

Hoffenheim began the game well, finding their passing range quickly and maintaining a compact shape to their team. The hosts perhaps looked like they were feeling the effects of 120 minutes of football in midweek, as their natural fluency was interrupted by misplaced passes and errors. The first shot on goal arrived after 11 minutes, when Andreas Beck tried his luck, but his strike from distance flew over the bar.

It was proving to be a rather uneventful first half, at least in terms of chances created. However, seven minutes before half time, the hosts snatched the lead. After Reus had gone close from ten yards, this time he made no mistake, sweeping in after a clever touch from Patrick Hermann (38'). Gladbach hadn't looked like scoring, but they went in at the interval a goal to the good.

Starke stays sharp

The second half got off to a quiet start. Hoffenheim looked happy to calmly keep possession and their defence was largely untroubled. Gladbach briefly threatened to make it 2-0 when de Camargo went through one-on-one, but 1899 keeper Tom Starke came out quickly to smother (52'). Starke then had to be alert to keep out de Camargo's header after the TSG backline had failed to clear a cross (59').

Babbel soon made his first substitution of the day, throwing on Firmino in place of Daniel Williams, in an attempt to gain more of a foothold in attack. Some patient possession football then almost brought the teams level. Salihovic received a pass from Beck and played a delightful reverse into the run of Vukcevic, but the German U21 international's shot was palmed away by Marc-Andre ter Stegen at the near post (71').

Hoffenheim stun their hosts

TSG were now building up a real head of steam and in a crazy two-minute period, they turned the game on its head. First, Firmino gave them their long-awaited equaliser when his shot deflected in off Raul Brouwers, before Vukcevic headed in Salihovic's teasing corner from two yards to put Hoffenheim 2-1 ahead. It was a quite stunning turnaround.

As the minutes wound down, Gladbach struggled to really test Starke, having been completely knocked out of their stride by Hoffenheim's two-minute double-salvo. Filip Daems did offer a speculative volley in injury time, which Starke did well to turn over the bar, but it was the most Gladbach could muster. Soon Hoffenheim were celebrating their second away win under Babbel and they now move into 10th place in the league, ahead of their next Bundesliga game at home to FC Schalke 04 on matchday 28.

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