Champions League: Real’s Late Fightback Earns Draw at Gladbach

Borussia Monchengladbach 2-2 Real Madrid

Real Madrid’s rough start to their Champions League campaign continues. The record 13-time European champions just narrowly avoided a second straight defeat as they scored two late goals to salvage a 2-2 draw away to Borussia Monchengladbach.

Marcus Thuram had put the Foals 2-0 ahead with half an hour remaining, but just like in Matchday 1 against Inter, they were unable to hold onto their lead as Real stormed back in the final minutes.

After they fell short against Shakhtar Donetsk, Casemiro came to the rescue to complete the Real comeback. However, the Spanish champions still find themselves in last place in Group B and have some work to do to make it to the knockout phase.

 

Highlights of the game

Real Madrid were clearly eager to avoid another disastrous defeat after going down to Shakhtar Donetsk in Matchday 1. They fielded their strongest possible starting XI and made a good start in Germany.

They were on the front foot in the early going and created a good number of chances. Karim Benzema came close with a shot in the 16th minute after a good ball from right-back Lucas Vazquez.

And just before the hour mark, Toni Kroos forced a smart save from Gladbach goalkeeper Yann Sommer with his strike from the edge of the box.

But despite Real’s early dominance, it was Gladbach who took the lead just a few minutes later with their very first shot of the game.

After winning the ball in the middle of the park, Gladbach launched a lightning-quick attacking move which saw Alassane Plea thread a beautiful ball to French strike partner Marcus Thuram, who thumped it past Thibaut Courtois.

Real Madrid resumed their control of the match in the second half as they went in search of an equaliser. They came close just after the break as Marco Asensio’s volley off a corner was headed into the post by Gladbach’s Florian Neuhaus. And just a few minutes later, he had another effort inside the six-yard box which was blocked by a Gladbach defender.

Fede Valverde then teed up Vinicius Junior with a great chance from around the penalty spot, but the young Brazilian sent his shot well wide.

Gladbach would make Madrid pay for their wastefulness as they doubled their lead just before the hour mark. Plea’s initial volley forced a good save from Courtois, but Thuram was in the right place to tap the ball in on the rebound.

The home side then had not one but two great chances to seal all three points with a third goal. First, Jonas Hofmann lofted a brilliant through ball to Plea, who got past Raphael Varane but couldn’t beat Courtois with his finish. Plea then turned provider for a Lars Stindl chance, but the Gladbach captain’s shot was just inches wide.

Those missed opportunities to finish off Madrid would eventually come back to haunt Gladbach as Real would storm their way back.

First, Benzema finally pulled a goal back in the 87th minute. Casemiro did brilliantly to keep a Valverde cross in play, and his header right on the byline allowed the French forward to fire past Sommer.

Then, Casemiro turned finisher as he got on the end of a Sergio Ramos header to blast home Real’s equaliser in the third minute of stoppage time.

It was another cruel finish for the Foals, who have now had two wins snatched away from them right at the death.

 

Key statistics

Despite their win at El Clasico, things are clearly not going well for Real Madrid at the moment. They’ve now won just one of their last four matches (one draw, two losses) and have failed to win four consecutive matches across all European competitions for the first time since September 2006.

Real’s attack remains unconvincing. While they had 21 total shots against Gladbach, only six were on target. Vinicius Junior, who had made a bright start to the season, had a particularly disappointing game as he remains unable to string together consistent performances.

Meanwhile, their defence — which was so crucial to their success last season — is faltering. They’ve now conceded five goals in the Champions League, the joint most they have conceded at this stage of the competition.

 

What’s next?

Real Madrid will have back-to-back home games coming up to try and get back on track. First, they host Huesca in the league before taking on Inter Milan, whose first two Champions League 2020 results have also been underwhelming. Stay tuned for SBOTOP’s preview of that massive match.

As for Gladbach, they have a tough week ahead. They host Bundesliga leaders RB Leipzig this weekend then go away to surprise Group B leaders Shakhtar Donetsk next week. The Ukrainians’ Champions League 2020 odds of winning the group would increase significantly if they get all three points against Gladbach.

 

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