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Hit twice, but lost: Gladbach's Alassane Pléa
Photo: INA FASSBENDER / AFP
Borussia Mönchengladbach loses a game in the Champions League for the first time this season.
In the home game against Inter Milan, the Gladbachers lost 2: 3 (1: 1).
The lead by Matteo Darmian (17th minute) equalized Alassane Pléa shortly before the break (45th + 1), Romelu Lukaku scored the decisive goals for the Italians (64th, 73rd).
Pléa's second goal brought Gladbach again (75th), but an alleged equalization did not count later.
Despite the defeat, the Gladbach leaders remain in Group B, in which all four clubs have a chance of reaching the last 16 before the last matchday.
The initial phase was not at all to the taste of the Gladbachers: In midfield, Inter came into the duels well, defensively the Italians left almost nothing.
In the game ahead, Antonio Conte's team was always looking for star striker Lukaku, who, as the leading player, moved cleverly beyond the Gladbach penalty area, repeatedly pinning and distributing balls.
Tony Jantschke, who replaced the injured Nico Elvedi in Gladbach's central defense, blocked a first chance from Lautaro Martínez (6th).
Ashley Young's exit from the edge of the penalty area then just missed Yann Sommer's goal (15th), two minutes later Darmian hit the lead from a tight angle through the Gladbach goalkeeper's legs (17th).
Martínez missed the chance to make it 2-0 (33rd) against Sommer, before Gladbach himself earned the first opportunities: A long-range shot by Stefan Lainer (36th) was the first sign of life, Marcus Thuram's attempt to get the ball into the far corner snooze, the second (37th).
Both times, Inters parried Samir Handanovic.
Shortly before the break, Milan's number one had no chance: Lars Stindl used Valentino Lazaro on the right side, and Pléa headed the Austrian's cross into the goal from close range (45th + 1).
Gladbach is denied the compensation
After the break, Gladbach was initially lucky that Martínez only flicked the ball against the post after Lukakus was put down (62.).
Shortly afterwards Lukaku prevailed in a direct duel against substitute Denis Zakaria and put the ball in the far corner (64th), a little later the Belgian scored his second goal free from the penalty spot (73rd).
The former Dortmund Achraf Hakimi had done the preparatory work.
Gladbach once again used a loss of the ball by Inter shortly before the center line for a good counterattack, and Pléa made it 2: 3 (75th).
The Italians had the first big chance in the closing stages: After a dribble by Alexis Sanchez, Young did not get the ball into the empty goal from a few meters (77th).
Alassane Pléa scored a third time in Inter's goal, but because Breel Embolo was offside in the field of vision of Keeper Handanovic, the goal did not count after the video assistant intervened (84th).
Borussia Mönchengladbach (eight points) will face Real Madrid (seven points) on the last day of the match.
A win or a draw is enough for the Gladbachers to advance.
In the event of a defeat, Marco Rose's team would have to rely on Shakhtar Donetsk and Inter Milan to draw in the parallel game.
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