Germany international Marco Reus struck twice to give Borussia Moenchengladbach a 4-1 win over VfL Wolfsburg to put them top of the Bundesliga on Friday.
’Gladbach, who needed a relegation playoff last season to stay up, have seven points from three games.
Mainz 05 and Hanover 96, both on six points, play today against Schalke 04 and Hertha Berlin respectively. VfB Stuttgart, on four, took on Bayer Leverkusen yesterday.
Photo: AFP
With new signing, former West Ham United midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger, in their lineup Wolfsburg struck after 12 minutes when Japanese Makoto Hasebe finished off a good move.
However, the home side needed only three minutes before they drew level.
Visiting defender Simon Kjaer slipped just outside the box and Raul Bobadilla picked up the loose ball before feeding Reus who tapped in from close range.
“It was almost good for us to concede a goal,” said Lucien Favre, who took over as ’Gladbach coach late last season.
“We reacted instantly and were by far the better team,” Favre told Sky television.
“We played extremely well and could have won by a much bigger scoreline,” he said.
The hosts looked sharper after the equalizer and their dominance paid off when Reus was brought down in the box and Belgian defender Filip Daems converted a 32nd-minute penalty.
Argentine Bobadilla added another goal on the stroke of halftime, heading in a Juan Arango cross.
Reus grabbed his second goal of the evening with a fine volley at the far post on 67 minutes.
“Nothing worked for us tonight,” Wolfsburg midfielder Christian Traesch told reporters.
“We started well and deserved to go a goal up, but then we made mistakes,” he said.
“Losing 3-1 or 4-1 doesn’t really make a difference. Our performance was nothing to be proud of,” Traesch said.
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