Borussia Monchengladbach resumed its Bundesliga campaign in impressive fashion, wih Alassane Plea and Marcus Thuram inspiring a 3-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt that lifts the club above RB Leipzig.
Earlier on the Bundesliga's first day back following the coronavirus-enforced hiatus, Julian Nagelsmann's Leipzig was held to a 1-1 draw by Freiburg - and Gladbach took full advantage, looking every bit a Champions League hopeful.
The host failed to even keep Gladbach at bay for a full minute as Plea put the visitor in front, while Thuram – a key player before the suspension in proceedings – knocked in his seventh in the league this season soon after.
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Substitute Andre Silva pulled one back for the host later on, but Ramy Bensebaini had already effectively secured a comfortable win for Marco Rose's side with a penalty.
Frankfurt had suffered three successive Bundesliga defeats prior to the break, and within 34 seconds of kick-off that run looked destined to continue – Plea finding the bottom-left corner despite being unbalanced after a one-two with Jonas Hofmann.
It was 2-0 just six minutes later as Bensebaini turned cleverly in the box and squeezed the ball across the face of goal for Thuram to tap in.
Filip Kostic appeared the Frankfurt player most likely to instigate a revival, but his wicked 24th-minute free-kick was pushed away by Yann Sommer, whose only other first-half save kept out Almamy Toure's tame effort from a tight angle just before the interval.
Adi Hutter introduced Silva for the ineffective Djibril Sow at half-time and Frankfurt had a little more presence in attack as a result, though not to the extent that Gladbach's lead ever looked under threat.
The visitor added a third through the lively Bensebaini, who converted from the spot after Breel Embolo was barged over by Evan Ndicka.
Silva grabbed a well-taken consolation with nine minutes to go, though it failed to inspire a comeback.
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After getting its early lead, Gladbach never looked like dropping points here. Once the side was two up, it was smart enough to become more compact while still offering a threat on the break.
Frankfurt, on the other hand, showed little creative ingenuity, its forays forward rarely causing undue worry to the Gladbach defence. Defeat means it remains just five points above the bottom three.
Double trouble for Gladbach
Thuram and Plea were both effective, getting a goal apiece. The latter arguably shaded his younger compatriot, who appeared to suffer a knock in the second half, as the ex-Nice forward also hit the post while seeing a late opportunity saved.
Sow nowhere to be seen
An anonymous first-half showing resulted in Sow's withdrawal at the break in favour of the more attack-minded Silva.
Key Opta facts
- Frankfurt was 2-0 down after seven minutes - the last time it trailed by the same scoreline so early in a Bundesliga game was in November 2009 (at Bayer Leverkusen).
- Gladbach has collected 52 points after 26 Bundesliga games, its best tally at this stage of a season since 1983-84 (53).
- Marcus Thuram has been directly involved in 15 goals in his 26 Bundesliga appearances (seven goals, eight assists) - more than he managed in 64 Ligue 1 games for Guingamp.
- Gladbach has scored at least three goals in three consecutive away fixtures for the first time since September-November 2015 (four in a row).
What's next?
Gladbach returns home – where it will play in front of approximately 12,000 cardboard cut-outs instead of fans – next weekend, with Bayer Leverkusen the visitor. Life will not get any easier for Frankfurt in a week, however, as it goes to Bayern Munich.
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