Thuram inspires Gladbach to victory over Hoffenheim

Hoffenheim 0-3 Gladbach
Goals: 0-1 Plea (43'), 0-2 Thuram (65'), 0-3 Neuhaus (83')

Hoffenheim were unable to call upon regular starters Kevin Vogt and Ishak Belfodil here, with both absent through injury, but nevertheless began brightest and Belfodil’s replacement, Christoph Baumgartner, was an electric threat. The 20-year-old had the best chance to open the scoring early in the first half but fired over from eight yards. That proved a costly miss, as it was the Foals who would eventually go in front just two minutes before the break after Thuram’s fine work down the right allowed him to tee up Alassane Plea for his third goal of the season.

Hoffenheim once again began with purpose after the interval, but their adventure presented the visitors with opportunity, too, and they were inches from doubling their lead when Breel Embolo headed wide from a corner. But they had their second 65 minutes in as Thuram drove past two Hoffenheim defenders before smashing home his third goal in two games. Florian Neuhaus was awarded a penalty with ten minutes remaining, only for VAR to overturn the decision, but the 22-year-old expertly finished just moments later to make it 3-0 and send Marco Rose's side to a fourth win of the campaign.

• Thuram registered his first Bundesliga assist and third goal in Germany's top flight a week after notching his first league strikes with a late brace in the Rhine derby win over Düsseldorf.
• Gladbach will play five of their next seven outings away from home, although that may suit them: Marco Rose's side have won all four games on the road this term.
• TSG had to settle for two draws with Gladbach last term – 0-0 at home and 2-2 away.
• The home side had 17 attempts on goal in this match, compared to just 11 for Gladbach.
• Hoffenheim have only picked up just five points from their first six games. It's their second-worst start to a Bundesliga season after they took just two points from 18 under Markus Gisdol in 2015/16.
• Gladbach have now lost just one of their last 12 Bundesliga games against Hoffenheim (W5, D6), a 5-3 reverse in April, 2017.

Hoffenheim: Baumann - Posch (Locadia 68'), Akpoguma, Hübner (c) - Kaderabek, Rudy, Baumgartner (Adamayan 51'), Grillitsch, Skov - Geiger (Rupp 79') - Bebou
Unused subs: Pentke, Bicakcic, Stafylidis, Nordtveidt, Ribeiro
Out: Ochs (ankle), Samassekou (hamstring), Zuber (foot), Kramaric (knee), Belfodil (tonsillitis), Vogt (thigh)
Coach: Alfred Schreuder

Gladbach: Sommer (c) - Lainer (Jantschke 88'), Ginter, Elvedi, Wendt - Kramer, Zakaria, Neuhaus (Raffael 86') - Embolo - Thuram (Herrmann 77'), Plea
Unused subs: Sippel, Kramer, Bensebaini, Poulsen
Out: Bennetts (thigh), Hofmann (knee), Johnson (groin), Stindl (broken shin), Strobl (knee), Traore (ankle), Benes (muscular)
Coach: Marco Rose