- Jonas Hofmann - 10', 30'
- Lars Stindl - 65'
Hofmann brace helps Gladbach sink hapless Wolfsburg
A first-half brace from striker Jonas Hofmann and a second-half strike by Lars Stindl gave Champions League-chasing Borussia Monchengladbach a comfortable 3-0 win over hapless VfL Wolfsburg, lifting them to fourth in the Bundesliga on Tuesday.
Hofmann latched onto a beautiful angled pass from Breel Embolo to fire his first in the 11th minute, and he made it two on the half-hour mark, collecting a lay-off from Matthias Ginter before guiding the ball past the keeper.
Wolfsburg had plenty of possession but their sloppy passing was often punished, and Stindl was able to exploit a mistake in the middle of the field to start a counterattack that he finished himself to make it 3-0 in the 65th minute.
With regular Moenchengladbach strikers Alassane Plea and Marcus Thuram both missing through injury, Hofmann made the most of his chance and could have had a hat-trick, but he dragged his best chance of the second half just wide.
On what proved to be a frustrating evening for the visitors, Wolfsburg managed to create several decent chances but all too often their efforts flew either wide or high over the crossbar.
The win moved Gladbach up to fourth spot on 59 points, two ahead of Bayer Leverkusen, who have a game in hand. Sixth-placed Wolfsburg remain in the hunt for the Europa League with 46 points, three ahead of Hoffenheim.
Game Information
German Bundesliga Standings
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bayern Munich | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | +25 | 23 |
| RB Leipzig | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | +10 | 20 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | +9 | 17 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | +5 | 16 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | +2 | 16 |
| SC Freiburg | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | +2 | 16 |
| 1. FC Union Berlin | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 15 |
| VfB Stuttgart | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | +1 | 13 |
| Borussia Monchengladbach | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | +1 | 13 |
| Werder Bremen | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | -5 | 12 |
| FC Augsburg | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | -7 | 11 |
| 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 10 |
| Mainz | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | -1 | 10 |
| VfL Wolfsburg | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 9 |
| St. Pauli | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | -4 | 8 |
| TSG Hoffenheim | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | -6 | 8 |
| Holstein Kiel | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | -12 | 5 |
| VfL Bochum | 9 | 0 | 1 | 8 | -20 | 1 |
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