Hoffenheim debutant Lucas Ribeiro dealt Borussia Mönchengladbach's title hopes a blow by scoring an injury-time equaliser after Oliver Baumann had saved an Alassane Plea penalty in an eventful contest at Borussia-Park.

Borussia Mönchengladbach 1-1 Hoffenheim
Goals: 1-0 Ginter (11'), 1-1 Ribeiro (90'+1)

Gladbach started brightly, threatening inside three minutes with Hoffenheim goalkeeper Baumann forced to take evasive action before Plea could apply the fishing touch to Lars Stindl’s probing pass. The Foals broke the deadlock soon after when defender Matthias Ginter put his foot through Plea’s deflected cross from 12 yards, though Baumann got a hand to the ball and will feel he should have done better. Borussia went close to a second on the stroke of half-time, but this time Baumann was equal to Marcus Thuram’s fabulous solo effort.

Hoffenheim had offered little in attack, but almost got themselves back on level terms within minutes of the restart. Steven Zuber let rip from range, drawing a finger-tip from Yann Sommer. Gladbach responded in kind as Plea stung the palms of Baumann, before Sommer flung himself low to his right to push away a Robert Skov free-kick at the other end. Baumann let a Thuram strike through his grasp, only to recover the ball on the goal-line, and went one better when he denied Plea from the penalty spot following a VAR-awarded handball decision against Benjamin Hübner. Hoffenheim's No.1 tipped a Denis Zakaria strike onto the woodwork and Plea had a goal ruled out in a one-sided finale, but there was a twist in the tale in added time when Ribeiro turned in a corner to end Gladbach's eight-match winning run on home soil.

Match stats

• Ribeiro scored on his Bundesliga debut, with his first attempt on goal.
• The Foals have scored seven Bundesliga goals through defenders this season. Only Eintracht Frankfurt have more (eight).
• Against Hoffenheim, they're unbeaten in eight at Borussia-Park (W3, D5), since a 2-1 loss under Lucien Favre in March 2012.
• Ginter scored his first Bundesliga goal of 2019/20. His last effort also came against Hoffenheim, on Matchday 32 of last season.
• Baumann saved his seventh career Bundesliga penalty.
• Sebastian Rudy made his 217th Bundesliga appearance for Hoffenheim, overtaking Andreas Beck as the club’s record appearance holder.

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Line-ups

Gladbach: Sommer - Lainer, Ginter, Elvedi, Wendt - Neuhaus, Zakaria, Hofmann (Herrmann 67') - Stindl (c) - Plea (Raffael 90'+2), Thuram
Unused subs: Sippel, Strobl, Kramer, Benes, Jantschke, Bensebaini, Embolo
Out: -
Coach: Marco Rose

Hoffenheim: Baumann - Nordtveit, Grillitsch, (Lucas Ribeiro 87'), Hübner (c) - Zuber, Rudy, Samassekou, Skov - Bruun Larsen (Beier 82'), Baumgartner - Dabbur (Bebou 26')
Unused subs: Pentke, Kaderabek, Bicakcic, Geiger, Akpoguma, Posch
Out: Belfodil (knee), Elmkies (knock), Kramaric (unspecified)
Coach: Alfred Schreuder

About the clubs

TSG Hoffenheim

PreZero Arena

Borussia Mönchengladbach

BORUSSIA-PARK