Mönchengladbach still safe after falling behind in Aue

Borussia Mönchengladbach overcame the tricky first round hurdle in the DFB Cup at FC Erzgebirge Aue. After falling behind, Gladbach came from 3:1 (1:1) down to win at the third division club. New signing Mika Clausen had put Aue ahead after just eight minutes. Franck Honorat (35) and Luca Netz (52) turned the game in favor of the Bundesliga club in front of 14,811 spectators. Alassane Plea (70') scored the winner. Julian Weigl (45.+4) failed to beat Aue goalkeeper Martin Männel with a penalty.

The Bundesliga side had their work cut out for them for 30 minutes in midsummer temperatures. And they were not undeservedly in the lead up to that point, as they looked for an uncomplicated way forward. Boris Tashchy made the Gladbach players look bad with a long solo run and picked up Kilian Jacobs. Clausen took the latter's cross on the volley and finished against the run of the stunned goalkeeper Jonas Omlin.

Gladbach need to refocus

It was only during the drinks break that coach Gerardo Seoane was able to readjust his team - and it paid off. New signing Kevin Stöger took charge in midfield, skillfully distributing the ball to the wing-backs who played consistently along the lines and then created danger with their crosses and through-balls. The equalizer was only a matter of time. After Kou Itakura (31) and Stöger (32) failed to score, Honorat did better shortly afterwards, sinking an overhead kick into the goal.

The visitors were still the dominant team after that, but failed to take their chances. Weigl missed the best one with a well-taken penalty, but Männel reacted superbly to save the shot.

Borussia cleverer after the break

After the break, Borussia continued to press offensively, attacking the Erzgebirge side from outside the penalty area and forcing them into mistakes. One of these led to the lead through Netz.

The hosts defended themselves against the threat of defeat, played with self-sacrifice going forward and were punished again. Because referee Florian Badstüber did not stop the game despite Jakob lying injured on the ground, Plea got into a shooting position on the edge of the penalty area and beat Männel for the third time.