Gladbach ousted by Freiburg, suffers Champions League setback

Borussia Moenchengladbach's hopes of securing a Champions League spot took a blow on Friday as it lost 1-0 to Freiburg in the Bundesliga.

Nils Petersen's header handed Freiburg a 1-0 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Borussia Moenchengladbach's push for a Champions League place was stalled by Freiburg as it was handed a 1-0 loss in the Bundesliga on Friday.

Gladbach, enjoying its best season since 1984, remains in fourth place - the final Champions League qualifying spot - on 56 points.

However, Bayer Leverkusen could replace it on Saturday should it defeat defending champion and league leader Bayern Munich.

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With just four games left, Freiburg boosted its Europa League hopes with victory secured by Nils Petersen's goal in the 58th minute.

Petersen had only been on the pitch for a minute after replacing Roland Sallai when he powerfully headed home from a free-kick.

To make matters worse for Borussia Moenchengladbach, its French striker Alassane Plea was sent off in the second half.

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French striker Marcus Thuram, who made global headlines last weekend when he took a knee to protest the death of George Floyd, was unable to breakthrough despite his side having the best of the first hour.

When Plea was sent-off, Gladbach's sporting director Max Eberl protested too vigorously through his anti-coronavirus face mask and was also dismissed.

Plea will now miss next weekend's home clash with Bayern Munich.