It was the trophy that VfL manager Max Eberl and coach Adi Hütter had promised so much to put a messed-up season back on track. In this cup competition, Gladbach had given record champion Bayern Munich a 5-0 lesson – but this gala by Borussia at the end of October seems like it was from a different time given the current condition.
Elvedi’s Fatal Heel Insertion
Hannover, on the other hand, was determined to make this evening a memorable one. After just three and a half minutes, an outrageous attempt at clearance by Nico Elvedi landed at Hendrik Weydandt, who sent Beier perfectly into the depths – with a crack in the left corner, the left winger didn’t give Yann Sommer a chance.
As a result, Gladbach did not get a line in the actions, remained playful almost everything – and could have compensated anyway. But Sievers heir Ron-Robert Zieler defused Florian Neuhaus’s chance with a magnificent foot defense, who appeared in front of him after a headed ball from Marcus Thuram (11th).
Friedrich with a clear hand game
Hannover, on the other hand, repeatedly put needle pricks and posed huge problems for the Gladbach three-man chain, in which Hütter had also brought back Matthias Ginter, who had just been sorted out. Christoph Dabrowski’s greed was rewarded ten minutes before the break, albeit with a delay. After a clear hand ball from new signing Marvin Friedrich, referee Florian Badstübner needed the video evidence before he awarded a penalty – Sebastian Kerk overcame Sommer to make it 2-0 with some effort.
His reaction during the half-time break showed how without a concept Hütter is currently acting. Thuram and Alassane Plea, whom he had given another chance from the start after a long break, he took out of the game after just 45 minutes. In addition to Breel Embolo, he brought in a defensive midfielder in Denis Zakaria – no wonder that his team didn’t exactly get a signal to attack.
Beier with the early decision
Only five minutes after the restart, the matter was finally sealed: After a corner of their own, Borussia’s counterattack failed, Linton Maina overran the guest defense and served Beier again, who duped the unfortunate Sommer again with a wonderful flick.
A decent opportunity to at least make the result bearable (Zakaria/74th) was countered by several chances for the Hanoverians (Beyer/47th, Weydandt/63rd and Börner/80th) to take VfL’s unworthy performance even harder punish.
Lars Stindl stunned
Gladbach captain Lars Stindl, who used to play for Hannover himself, was stunned after the final whistle: “We take on so much, drive here full of euphoria – and then get it on the pitch with zero. We absolutely have to be blamed for that. We know what a precarious situation we are in, so all questions are justified.”
The statement by Hannover midfielder Kerk was almost a slap in the face: “There was surprisingly little resistance from Gladbach. We could have scored one or two more goals.”
Gladbach will continue on Saturday (01/22/22) at home against Union Berlin. Hannover receives Dynamo Dresden the next day.
Status: 01/19/2022, 8:15 p.m