Hazard misses penalty but scores another to keep Gladbach perfect

Gladbach 2-0 Nuremberg

Goals: 1-0 Hazard (47’), 2-0 Plea (86')

Both sides were guilty of missing golden opportunities to take a first-half lead at Borussia-Park, none more so than the hosts as Hazard lifted a penalty over the bar on the brink of half-time. Before that, Yann Sommer had superbly denied Adam Zrelak just five minutes in, while Lukas Mühl prevented Plea and Denis Zakaria saw his header cleared off the line at the other end. However, it was Hazard who was given the perfect chance to put the hosts ahead after Florian Neuhaus was felled in the box, but the Belgian could only chip his spot-kick over the bar.

Hazard wasted no time in making amends, though, first starting and then finishing a stunning Gladbach counter-attack just two minutes into the second-half to give his side the lead with his ninth goal of the season. It brought Hazard and Gladbach to life, the home side controlling proceedings before a second clinical counter late on saw Plea wrap up an eighth win out of eight on home soil that consolidates second-place in the table. Nuremberg, meanwhile, can now end Matchday 16 bottom of the table, depending on how Hannover fare against Freiburg on Wednesday night.

• Gladbach are the only Bundesliga side to boast a perfect home record in the current campaign.
• Hazard and Plea are Gladbach's joint top scorers this season with nine goals.
• Nuremberg have the worst away record in the Bundesliga this term, losing six and drawing two games so far, scoring just five and conceding a whopping 26.
• Hazard has scored six goals at home this season, but this was his first goal since Matchday 12.
• Yann Sommer has kept seven clean sheets already this season, a feat only Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi has equalled.
• The Foals have been awarded the most penalties this season (six), and have scored four of them.

Gladbach: Sommer - Johnson (Lang, 75'), Beyer, Strobl, Elvedi (Cuisance, 73'), Wendt (c) - Strobl - Neuhaus, Zakaria - Hazard, Plea, Traore (Herrmann, 81')
Unused subs: Sippel, Drmic, Benes, Müsel
Out: Doucoure (thigh), Vilalba (ankle), Ginter (facial injury), Raffael (broken collarbone), Stindl (ankle)
Coach: Dieter Hecking

Nuremberg: Bredlow - Goden (Ewerton, 46'), Margreitter (c), Mühl, Leibold - Misidjan (Salli, 73'), Petrak, Pereira (Knöll, 81'), Fuchs - Zrelak, Palacios
Unused subs: Klandt, Kerk, Kubo, Erras
Out: Behrens (abdominal), Lippert (knee), Löwen (knee), Mathenia (knee), Valentini (thigh)
Coach: Michael Köllner