Borussia Moenchengladbach came from a goal down to beat Hamburg SV 3-1 on Sunday and leave the visiting side second from bottom in the Bundesliga.
“The overall situation continues to be ominous,” Hamburg coach Mirko Slomka said. “We didn’t manage to settle ourselves. The team is very depressed.”
Hamburg are the only club to have played in each of the Bundesliga’s 51 seasons and the players are under immense pressure to prevent their first relegation.
Jacques Zoua opened the scoring with a header from Hakan Calhanoglu’s free-kick in the 28th minute, but Hamburg defender Michael Mancienne’s hand-ball gave ’Gladbach the lifeline of a penalty eight minutes later.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen saved Filip Daems’ spot-kick, only for the Belgian defender to tuck away the rebound.
Hamburg goalkeeper Rene Adler made two crucial saves to maintain parity before the break, but two goals in three minutes decided the game.
In the 75th minute, Max Kruse controlled the ball with his chest and took it beyond two defenders for Raffael to round Adler and score, before Alvaro Dominguez made sure of the result with a header from a corner.
Moenchengladbach reclaimed sixth place, while Hamburg are just two points above bottom side Eintracht Braunschweig and behind 16th-placed VfB Stuttgart on goal-difference.
“We know what it’s like to play well and leave with nothing,” said ’Gladbach sporting director Max Eberl, whose side only narrowly escaped relegation in 2010-2011. “Hamburg did very well. They created good chances, made it really difficult.”
Moenchengladbach announced after the game that they had signed Andre Hahn from rivals Augsburg. The attacking midfielder signed a four-year deal effective from next season.
Sebastian Proedl’s last-minute header earned Werder Bremen a 2-1 win at Hannover 96 later on Sunday, lifting his side eight points above the relegation zone.
“We showed morale,” Bremen captain Clemens Fritz said.
Szabolcs Huszti had given Hannover a 42nd-minute lead with a free-kick that went through the Bremen wall. The visitors had been the better side in the first half.
Hannover improved, but Bremen equalized on a counterattack in the 57th minute when Eljero Elia set up Franco di Santo’s third goal of the campaign.
Both sides had chances in a hectic finale, before Proedl’s header after a corner lifted Bremen above Hannover in the table.
There was a short hold up in the second half while referee Markus Schmidt received attention for a muscular problem with his right leg. On Saturday, referee Michael Weiner was unable to continue after rupturing the Achilles tendon in his right heel during Borussia Dortmund’s game at VfB Stuttgart.
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