The wonder team of Alassane Plea and Marcus Thuram aka Pluram, also called by Bundesliga “The French Connection”, because of how they aided Borussia Mönchengladbach to a clean victory.
Florian Neuhaus, Thuram, and Plea all scored goals as Mönchengladbach beat Union Berlin 4-1 at home.
This means that Mönchengladbach will remain on top of their UEFA Champions League qualifying hopes.
Neuhaus nearly opened the scoring with an amazing halfway line effort, catching Rafal Gikiewicz off his line. But the Union goalkeeper scrambled back to his post just in time to tip the shot around.
However, the Gladbach midfielder scored a goal anyway. Just a few moments after tussling with the Union goalkeeper, he skipped across the top of the penalty area past a number of Berlin defenders. His shot hit the inside of the post for his fourth of the season before rolling over the line.
Thuram then doubled the lead just before half-time, when Alassane Plea picked his fellow countryman up the far post with a cross, burying his powerful header beyond Gikiewicz and into the net.
Meanwhile, Union retaliated with one of their party tricks soon after the break. Marcus Ingvartsen knocked down the free-kick of set-piece specialist Christopher Trimmel for top scorer Sebastian Andersson to head home.
Only a few minutes later, though, the French connection kicked in again. the two-goal lead was restored as Plea crossed low this time for Thuram to return home his 10th campaign goal after Jonas Hofmann had dispossessed Grischa Prömel at the edge of the net.
Plea then stepped into the scoring role himself as he adapted well to grab on Ramy Bensebaini’s cross and divert it for Gladbach’s fourth beyond Gikiewicz and keep them in the top four group.
Line-ups:
Gladbach: Sommer – Lainer, Ginter, Elvedi, Bensebaini (Wendt 90’) – Hofmann (Traore 82’), Neuhaus (Doucoure 90’) – Stindl (c) (Benes 82’) – Herrmann (Kramer 72’), Plea, Thuram
Union: Gikiewicz – Friedrich, Schlotterbeck, Subotic (Kroos 46’) – Trimmel (c), Gentner (Ujah 80’), Prömel, Lenz (Ryerson 60’ (Mees 65’)) – Ingvartsen (Malli 80’), Bülter – Andersson
