TSG hold Gladbach to goalless draw

The sound of cheering fans inside the WIRSOL Rhein-Neckar-Arena meant that the Bundesliga was back in full swing after the winter break. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, with a new face in the dugout in manager Marco Kurz, welcomed visitors Borussia Mönchengladbach for their first league match of 2013. There were no major surprises in Kurz's first squad selection, which included recently named number one Tim Wiese in goal, Takashi Usami on the wing and Eren Derdiyok leading the attack.

TSG started the game positively, finding players in space with some good passing and nearly working a good chance very early on. Derdiyok was running at goal with Roberto Firmino just outside him, but opted not to lay the ball off to the better positioned midfielder and was closed down before he could get a shot away himself. The Brazilian did get a chance to shoot moments later though, but, after Derdiyok did flick the ball onto him this time, his strike went high and wide of the Gladbach goal. Marco Kurz will have been happy with what he had seen from his side at the back, as they continued to keep the visitors away from Tim Wiese's goal, however Hoffenheim were also struggling to force a save out of Marc-André ter Stegen at the other end. Firmino finally did on the 20-minute mark, but the German keeper had no problems pushing the effort wide.

The first half was a rather uninspiring affair overall, with neither side coming particularly close to scoring. The only other noteworthy moment leading up to the break was when co-captain Sejad Salihovic had to be withdrawn having picked up a knock. USA international Daniel Williams replaced him in the heart of midfield. The second period started in a similar fashion to how the first one ended, but started to pick up around the hour mark. Wiese was almost called upon by Luuk de Jong of Gladbach, but the striker couldn't keep his effort under the bar. Soon after, it was TSG who were back on the attack. Lucien Favre's side failed to get the ball sufficiently clear from a half-chance and it popped out on the right-hand side of the box where Roberto Firmino was first to it. His drilled cross towards the six-yard box almost found Derdiyok, but Jantschke was in place to clear the danger.

With around 20 minutes left in the match, both sides had their best chance to score so far. First it was Borussia Mönchengladbach's Brouwers who missed an opportunity, heading wide from a Nordtveit corner, before Tobias Weis called ter Stegen into action. Kevin Volland's clever back heel set up the midfielder on the edge of the box, but his low, driven shot was palmed away by the Gladbach keeper. Having previously introduced Vincenzo Grifo for Roberto Firmino, Marco Kurz made his final change with less than ten minutes left, replacing Derdiyok with Joselu. The Spaniard had time for one chance, but he failed to connect cleanly enough with Usami's lay-off and dragged his left-footed shot wide of the post.

Just as Hoffenheim were starting to sense a late goal, the referee blew his final whistle to put an end to the encounter. The point earned is Hoffenheim's first in the league since the start of November, putting the end to a run of six consecutive defeats. While TSG may feel as though there was more to be had from the game, a clean sheet and a draw against Gladbach is a positive start to Marco Kurz's reign as manager. He will look to claim his first league win next Saturday against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Matt Hardy

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim: Wiese – Beck, Delpierre, Vestergaard, Johnson – Weis, Salihovic (36' Williams) – Usami, Volland, Roberto Firmino (73' Grifo) – Derdiyok (83' Joselu)

Borussia Mönchengladbach: ter Stegen – Jantschke, Brouwers, Dominguez, Wendt – Cigerci, Nordtveit, Marx, Arango – Herrmann (90+1' Rupp), de Jong (77' Mlapa)

Yellow cards: Vestergaard, Weis, Usami – Brouwers, Herrmann
Attendance: 26,750
Referee: Peter Sippel

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