Borussia Monchengladbach salvage a draw with VFB Stuttgart 1-1

Vavel 

Borussia, fresh from their European tie on Thursday night kicked off with the noisy "Nord Kurve"behind them. 

Dominguez caught Harnik with a stray arm after two minutes and avoided a booking. The resulting free kick caused no problems and Sommer jumped and caught the ball with ease on his home debut. Traore had the first chance for the goals against his former club but he failed to guide his shot goalwards. 

Stuttgart found themselves pinned deep into their own half for the majority of the first ten minutes. A Traore corner on the tenth minute evaded everyone but found Raffael outside the box who wasted an opportunity by fizzing a shot wide. Hahn was next to take a bite of the apple but he, like his teammates before him, wasted his chance and shot wide.

Jantschke fouled Ibisevic after quarter of an hour and Maxim stood over the free kick in dangerous territory, however the Romanian youngster could only put the ball over the top of Sommer's net.

Traore, Hahn and Hrgota all countered with speed but the move was broken down by Traore's weak cross into the box that was dealt with by Schwaab. 

Sakai found himself free down the left hand side again and delivered a inviting ball along the floor intended for Ibisevic. It wasn't to be as Jantschke got infront of the Bosnian and put the ball in to touch. 

Stuttgart put the ball in the net as a result of a free kick but celebrations were cut short by the linesman who had his flag raised. Replays showed an Ibisevic push on Jantschke who'd got the better of him just moments before.

The sides went back into the dressing rooms goalless and there were certainly more negatives than positives for the hosts.

HALF TIME: M'gladbach 0-0 Stuttgart

The sides re-emerged soon unchanged and the visitors got the game rolling again. Hrgota somehow failed to convert into an open goal from just yards out with the first chance of the half. Up the other end Mönchengladbach were punished, Alexandru Maxim hit it low and hard across a helpless Sommer to give the visitors the lead after fifty minutes.

For the first quarter of an hour, The hosts looked like deer caught in the headlights and lost for ideas as their first half dominance was turning against them. Ulreich tipped a Xhaka effort round the post shortly before catching an audacious strike from Nordtveit. 

Hrgota found the net on the sixty-sixth minute but the flag was raised and the goal, subsequently chopped off. The pending change of Hazard for Hrgota went through and one can only wonder would it have happened had Hrgota converted and been onside? Stuttgart made their first change of the afternoon on the seventieth swapping in recently acquired Gruezo for Didavi.

Xhaka hit another effort at goal which was tame at best and straight at Ulreich who looked unbeatable.

World Cup winner Christoph Kramer and US International Fabian Johnson were introduced just minutes later for Nordtveit and a below average Hahn. 

Kramer's first touch of the ball was a cheeky lobbed effort that went over the defence and found Hazard whose fierce half volley could only leave the woodwork shaking.

Gladbach went into the final ten with some new found control which they found with the introduction of Kramer and Johnson eight minutes prior. Ibisevic and Gentner linked nicely before the latter brought out a fine save from Sommer at his near post.

With little over a minute of regulation time remaining Dominguez cut back for Kramer who smashed home past a number of men in red to tie the game at 1-1. 

There was a rather generous three minutes serving of injury time, by Bundesliga standards but neither side could grab a late winner and the game ended a stalemate.

Not the most convincing of performances by Gladbach but you could argue they had one eye looking forward to Thursday's Europa League playoff second leg against FK Sarajevo.