Thuram brace as Gladbach match Madrid

Gladbach 2-2 Real Madrid
Goals: 1-0 Thuram (33'), 2-0 Thuram (58'), 2-1 Benzema (87'), 2-2 Casemiro (90'+3)

Gladbach head coach Marco Rose had said in the build-up to this game that his side had shown “too much respect for too long” in the 2-2 draw with Inter Milan last week, and insisted his players had learned from that mistake. He was quickly proven correct, as Thuram, Alassane Plea and Jonas Hofmann hounded Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane high up the pitch, forcing them to play long balls forward out from the back. And while the visitors eventually earned the upper hand in terms of possession, they struggled to break down Gladbach’s compact rearguard. Yann Sommer was sporadically called into action, producing fine stops to deny Toni Kroos and Marco Asensio, but it was the Foals who took a narrow lead in at the break when Thuram thundered home from 16 yards following Plea’s pinpoint cross, as the hosts capitalised on uncharacteristically lax passing from Kroos and Varane.

Gladbach’s lead was almost wiped out within two minutes of the restart when Florian Neuhaus deflected Asensio’s shot following a corner onto the woodwork. Vinicius skewed wide as Real turned the screw, only to be undone by Thuram’s second of the contest. Plea met Stefan Lainer’s cross to force the save from Thibaut Courtois, who was powerless to prevent the Gladbach goal-better sticking away the rebound. Plea was denied when through on goal moments later, before Lars Stindl fired past the far post. Real found a second wind, however, as Eden Hazard tickled the side netting and Karim Benzema reduced the arrears from close range with three minutes to go. Casemiro then broke Gladbach hearts with virtually the last kick of the game to rescue a point the record winners barely deserved.

• Hofmann has been Gladbach's most potent attacking force this season with a hand in nine goals in eight games in all competitions (four goals, five assists).
• Gladbach are back in the Champions League for the first time since 2016/17, having finished fourth in the Bundesliga last term.
• Rose's side had led the Bundesliga table for eight weeks uninterrupted last year, only giving up top spot on Matchday 15.
• This was a regular fixture in the 1970s and '80s. Gladbach and Real have now faced off five times, sharing three draws and one win apiece.
• The Foals made five European finals in that period, lifting the UEFA Cup twice (1975, '79) and finishing as runners-up to Liverpool in the 1977 European Cup.
• Gladbach trio Matthias Ginter, Hofmann and Neuhaus are Germany international teammates with Madrid midfielder Kroos.

Gladbach: Sommer - Lainer, Ginter, Elvedi, Bensebaini - Kramer, Neuhaus - Hofmann, Stindl (c) (Wolf 79'), Thuram (Herrmann 71') - Plea (Embolo 79')
Subs: Sippel, Grün, Lang, Traore, Wendt, Lazaro, Benes, Jantschke, Reitz
Out: Zakaria (fitness)
Coach: Marco Rose

Real: Courtois - Vazquez, Varane, Ramos (c), Mendy - Valverde, Casemiro, Kroos (Modric 71') - Asensio (Rodrygo 84'), Benzema, Vinicius (Hazard 71')
Subs: Lunin, Altube, Militao, Marcelo, Jovic, Isco, Santos
Out: -
Coach: Zinedine Zidane

Gladbach: Sommer - Lainer, Ginter, Elvedi, Bensebaini - Kramer, Neuhaus - Hofmann, Stindl (c) (Wolf 79'), Thuram (Herrmann 71') - Plea (Embolo 79')

Real: Courtois - Vazquez, Varane, Ramos (c), Mendy - Valverde, Casemiro, Kroos (Modric 71') - Asensio (Rodrygo 84'), Benzema, Vinicius (Hazard 71')

Gladbach 2-2 Real Madrid
Goals: 1-0 Thuram (33'), 2-0 Thuram (58'), 2-1 Benzema (87'), 2-2 Casemiro (90'+3)

90'+3 GOAL! GLADBACH 2-2 REAL

Heartbreak for Gladbach as Casemiro levels with virtually the last kick of the game. It's a very similar goal to Real's first, this time with Modric lumping in the hopeful ball. Ramosnods it down, and Casemiro is first to react.

90'+1 OFF TARGET

Bensebaini hammers a free-kick wide from a good 25 yards. The sooner Gladbach regain possession, the better. We're into one of four added minutes...

87' GOAL! GLADBACH 2-1 REAL

Gah! Gladbach don't deal with a deep cross into the box from Valverde. Casemiro heads it into the six-yard box, where Benzema pounces to halve the deficit.

84' RODRYGO ON

Off goes Asensio. Desperate times for Real...

80' NEUHAUS FROM RANGE

That's what we like to see as Neuhaus tests Courtois from range. It's an easy save, but another passage that does Real's comeback hopes no good whatsoever.

79' FRESH LEGS

Marco Rose throws on Hannes Wolf and Breel Embolo for the final 11 minutes. Messrs Stindl and Plea make way.

74' LET OFF FOR GLADBACH

Hazard's first involvement is to direct Karim Benzema's near-post cross into the side netting. Wouldn't be the first time a Hazard has scored in Mönchengladbach, the Real man's younger brother Thorgan having tallied 31 goals and 35 assists in 147 Bundesliga outings for the Foals before moving to Dortmund in summer 2019.

71' CHANGES

Two-goal hero Thuram makes way following a display befitting a sold-out crowd. The lightning-quick Patrick Herrmann comes on, primed to exploit any space left by Real in their search for a way back into the game. To that end, Luka Modric replaces Toni Kroos and Eden Hazard is on for Vinicius.

69' REAL AT ARM'S LENGTH

Real win a free-kick in Kroos territory. Asensio takes on the loose ball after Kroos' effort is blocked, but Sommer is equal to it.

66' CLOSE FROM STINDL

Stindl drives into the box and fires just wide of the left-hand post, with Real very much on the ropes. Gladbach sense this is their chance to kill off the contest...

64' GLADBACH IN THE MOOD

Plea comes forward again, but Asensio is back defending for the visitors and gets in the block, allowing Courtois to collect.

61' NEARLY THREE

Absolute scenes at the Borussia-Park. Neuhaus plays Plea through on the Real goal. After holding off Varane, he only has Courtois to beat, but the Belgian is off his line to deny the Frenchman Gladbach's third. Real are teetering...

58' GOAAAAL! GLADBACH 2-0 REAL

Borussia are in dreamland. Courtois can only parry as Plea connects with Lainer's cross, and there's Thuram with his second of the contest. What a result this would be!

50' GLADBACH ON THE BACKFOOT

It's all Real early in the second half as Vinicius surges forward and slices wide. Let's hope the Foals can weather the storm...

47' SOMMER IN THE THICK OF THINGS

Yann Sommer concedes a needless corner, which Kroos takes. It's cleared only as far as Asensio, whose fierce volley is clawed onto the post by Gladbach's No.1. Fantastic keeping - blushes spared.

SECOND HALF!

Gladbach with the lead. Can they go on to claim a famous win?

HALF-TIME!

Gladbach lead at the break through Thuram's clinical strike. The Foals have been forced on to the back foot for large spells of the game so far, but for all their possession, Real Madrid haven't managed to create many clear-cut chances - and Sommer has been equal to the ones they have forced.

44' BURST OF SPEED FROM VINICIUS

The Spaniards create an overload on the right, with Vinicius getting to the byline and crossing into the middle, but he can't find a teammate and Sommer gathers.

41' GLADBACH SOLID

Aside from that vital intervention from Sommer a few moments ago, the home side have been very well organised at the back, staying compact in numbers and not giving their visitors any room to work in.

38' BRILLIANT FROM SOMMER

Real play their way through the Gladbach defence on the right with some slick one-touch passing. It culminates with Asensio having a free shot at goal from a tight-ish angle, but Sommer produces a brilliant reflex save to block at his near post.

35' RUTHLESS EFFICIENCY

Thuram's goal was also Gladbach's first shot on target in this match.

33' GOAL! THURAM WITH THE OPENER!

Varane's attempted header out of defence falls at the feet of Plea. He quickly plays a one-two with Hofmann before curling a teasing low ball across the box to Thuram, who smashes in his first ever Champions League goal!

29' SOMMER STOPS KROOS

The Germany international has a pop at goal form around 25 yards out. It's arrowing towards the bottom right-hand corner of Sommer's goal, but the Gladbach custodian dives at full stretch to keep it out.

25' HOSTS PROACTIVE

There's no sitting back and parking the bus from Gladbach: Rose's charges are pressing Real high up the pitch, in particular hounding Ramos to prevent him building from the back. It's led to some quick recoveries of possession, but no clear chances as yet.

22' POSITIVE FROM GLADBACH

Bensebaini darts down the left and plays a low cross into the middle. Thuram almost gets there, but a defender just beats him to it to prod the ball away.

20' WIDE FROM CASEMIRO

Kroos recovers possession around 30 yards out and quickly plays it into the feet of Benzema on the edge of the box. He lays it off to Casemiro, whose first-time effort with the outside of his boot is deflected wide for a corner.

16' OVER FROM BENZEMA

The French striker controls a cross from Vazquez on his chest and instantly gets a shot away on the turn, but it sails over the bar.

15' APPLAUSE FROM THE GLADBACH BENCH

Lovely one-touch play from the Foals, all the way from Bensebaini at left-back through to Stindl in the centre-circle. He tries to release Plea into space, but Varane tracks his run and intercepts.

13' LAINER PROBES

The Gladbach right-back is afforded time and space outside the edge of the visitors' penalty area and dinks a cross towards the back post, looking for Plea. Courtois has read the danger though, and dashes off his line to pluck the ball from the air.

11' NEAT FROM GLADBACH

Thuram wins possession in the left of midfield and strides forward before laying the ball off to Bensebaini on the overlap. He bends a low cross into the box, but it's cut out by Varane.

7' WIDE FROM CASEMIRO

The Brazilian tries his luck from range, but it flies wide of the left-hand post.

5' LAINER CLEARS

A first threatening move from the visitors as Vazquez crosses into the middle from the right, looking for Benzema. He's being tightly marked though, and Lainer is able to boot clear

2' BENZEMA RUFFLES ROOF OF THE NET

Gladbach have started by pressing high, but Ramos pings a long ball out of the defence over to the right. From there it's worked forward to Benzema, who tries to take on Bensebaini, but his cross-shot lands on the top of the goal.

1' KICK-OFF

Here we go! Real Madrid get the ball rolling at Borussia-Park!

"THE CHAAAAAMPIONS!"

The teams have lined up out on the pitch and the Champions League anthem is blaring out. We're almost ready to go.

ROSE: "WE HAD TOO MUCH RESPECT"

Gladbach coach Marco Rose is hoping his players can learn the lessons from their 2-2 draw away to Inter last week.

"Against Inter we had too much respect for them for too long," he said at his pre-match press conference.

"But we can take a lot of positives from the game too, and we hope we can get another positive result against a really strong side. We want to take our chances in this group. Real Madrid have a lot of world-class players in their ranks, but they can have a bad day too. We’ll need to make the most of the few mistakes they might make.”

ONE CHANGE FROM ZIDANE

The Real Madrid head coach has been forced to amend his line-up slightly from the one that vanquished Barcelona, with right-back Nacho suffering a thigh injury in that game And with first-choice right-back Carvajal also out, Vazquez deputises here.

Eden Hazard is on the bench after recovering from a knock, while former Eintracht Frankfurt striker Luka Jovic joins him among the substitutes.

FIVE CHANGES FROM ROSE

Gladbach coach Marco Rose has heavily rotated his side following the come-from-behind 3-2 triumph away to Mainz on Saturday. Bensebaini, Neuhaus, Hofmann, Thuram and Plea were on the bench in that game, but all start here for the hosts.

VISITORS UNDER PRESSURE

While Zidane's side come into this tie buoyed by a 3-1 win away to Barcelona in El Clasico at the weekend, they are currently bottom of Group B following a shock 3-2 home defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk last week.

A WARM WELCOME

After earning a 1-1 draw away to Inter Milan last week, Gladbach face their next European heavyweights in Real Madrid as they bid to keep picking up points in Group B. Stay tuned as we build-up towards kick-off!

CONFIRMED line-ups

Gladbach: Sommer - Lainer, Ginter, Elvedi, Bensebaini - Kramer, Neuhaus - Hofmann, Stindl (c), Thuram - Plea
Subs: Sippel, Grün, Lang, Herrmann, Wolf, Traore, Wendt, Lazaro, Benes, Jantschke, Embolo, Reitz
Out: Poulsen (shoulder), Zakaria (knee)
Coach: Marco Rose

Real: Courtois - Vazquez, Varane, Ramos (c), Mendy - Valverde, Casemiro, Asensio, Kroos - Benzema, Vinicius
Subs: Lunin, Altube, Militao, Hazard, Modric, Marcelo, Jovic, Isco, Rodrygo, Santos
Out: Carvajal (knee), Mariano (match fitness), Nacho (thigh), Ödegaard (calf), Odriozola (calf)
Coach: Zinedine Zidane

Watch: Matthias Ginter was key to Gladbach's top-flour finish last season