Borussia Mönchengladbach have managed to avoid setting the record for the worst-ever start in Bundesliga history, collecting their first points of the season and winning their first match under new head coach Alexander Blessin with a 2-3 away victory over VfB Stuttgart. The Bundesliga’s last-placed team remain rock bottom of the table, but have finally become the last top-flight team to pick up points in the 2026/27 campaign.
Stuttgart, meanwhile, have now lost five of their seven league fixtures and could even potentially be pulled into the relegation zone before the weekend is out. Despite a promising start to their Champions League cycle, Sebastian Hoeneß’ Swabians have collected just six domestic league points in the young season.
Both coaches employ significant changes
Hoeneß made six changes to the XI that delivered an encouraging performance in the Champions League midweek. One enforced injury change saw Lorenz Assignon deputize for the unavailable Josha Vagnoman. In addition to the right-back switch, Finn Jeltsch, Atakan Karazor, Leo Sauer, Ermedin Demirovic, and Dzenan Pejcinovic started in place of Jeff Chabot, Grischa Prömel, Bilal El Khannouss, Deniz Undav, and Jamie Leweling. Sauer – a not inexpensive summer addition – made his starting debut for his new Bundesliga club.
Blessin, dealing with both injury problems and the threat of an unwanted Bundesliga record, made two changes to the starting XI that lost last Sunday against Hoffenheim. As expected, Shuto Machino worked in place of the injured Isac Lidberg up front. Defender Kevin Diks also had to withdraw at short notice due to personal reasons. This meant that Daiki Hashioka joined his Japanese compatriot Machino as a new BMG starter. Hashioka slid into Blessin’s back three while Philipp Sander took over Diks’ central position.
Demirovic opens from distance
After Stuttgart attempted to breach the penalty area via the short passing game in the opening few minutes, Ermedin Demirovic suddenly opened the scoring with what initially appeared a highly speculative distance effort. The VfB forward uncorked a strong effort from about 22 meters out in a central position in the 5th minute. Gladbach keeper Moritz Nicolas managed to take the zip off Demirovic’s shot with a sprawling paw, but the ball rolled off Nicolas’ palms and into the back of the net anyway.
The visiting Gladbach players nearly produced an immediate response via a nice individual run from Wael Mohya into the box in the 7th minute. Unfortunately, Mohya’s teammate Hugo Bolin – despite having plenty of space – sent a close-range effort wide.
From that point forward, the Swabian hosts looked more likely to double their advantage. Pejcinovic (14th) and Assignon (16th) generated more efforts on goal. Ramon Hendriks also nearly executed a neat turn-and-finish off a corner in the 18th minute.
Gladbach completely lost the thread for a time, unable to press off the ball or advance forward when in possession. Matters were truly looking dour for the Bundesliga’s last-placed team as they did nothing but chip desperate long vertical balls forward.
Gladbach stir, score, then surprisingly shine
Shortly after the half-hour mark, a nice bit of dribbling from Bolin on the left at least produced a little excitement in front of the Stuttgart net. Bolin sent a square ball across the goalmouth. VfB keeper Seimen would have been beaten, but Machino simply couldn’t catch up to Bolin’s layoff.
Not long after that, the Foals were gifted an excellent chance off a dead ball. Angelo Stiller fouled Bolin outside the area in the 34th minute. After an injury delay (Stiller himself caught an elbow), Blessin’s charges unveiled an intricate set-piece variation that looked well rehearsed.
A flick-on from Florian Neuhaus found Fabio Chiarodia, but the defender couldn’t strike the ball from a sufficiently threatening angle, and Seimen collected easily.
A couple of minutes after the dead ball, Stuttgart were caught off guard. With a little bit of luck, Gladbach dug out the equalizer in the 38th minute. The highly touted Mohya was once again involved with a strong carry up the left. Lukas Ullrich tagged along and sent a cross into the box that Maximilian Mittelstädt could only clear as far as Zento Uno. Joe Scally then directed Uno’s shot on goal into the net with a filthy, slick backheel.
Scally’s equalizer completely changed the tenor of the match. Taking advantage of five minutes of added time tacked on due to Stiller’s injury break, the Foals came very close to snatching the lead before the break.
Neuhaus forced a full-stretch parry out of Seimen at 45+4. Seconds before it was time to head into the tunnel, Mohya received a double chance at 45+5. The young BMG phenom’s second effort struck the crossbar. Uno turned the rebound just wide. The Swabians were extremely lucky the score still stood 1-1 at halftime.
“Mohya Magic” finally clicks
After the restart, it didn’t take long for Gladbach’s 17-year-old Wunderkind to pick up where he left off. Mohya drove an unforgettable sequence in the 51st minute. Dribbling near the touchline and double-teamed by Sauer and Assignon, Mohya broke past both his markers and recovered from a slight slip to emerge with the ball and deliver an inch-perfect cutback for his teammate Machino.
Gladbach’s makeshift lead striker finished deftly, but the 2-1 goal that put the guests ahead owed everything to the exceptional hard work of his young colleague. Mohya couldn’t help but (perhaps inadvertently) take a bow in front of the VfB Kurve, a move which was not appreciated by the Swabian ultras. Mohya received whistles amid several more brilliant touches.
One certainly had the feeling that Mohya wasn’t done for the evening. Hoeneß, meanwhile, reacted to the surprise deficit by employing a triple substitution and changing up his tactics. Three fresh attackers – Undav, El Khannouss, and Jamie Leweling – entered in the 55th minute.
Demirovic frustrated, Mohya strikes again
The Stuttgart scorer of the stunning distance opener, ironically enough, couldn’t find the right finishing touch when gifted better opportunities closer to the net. Demirovic produced a tame effort in the 58th minute and shot wide in the 63rd. At the other end, Mohya would eventually score his own goal in the 66th minute on a play that – while somewhat slapstick – did exemplify his team’s work ethic on the evening.
Seimen couldn’t quite handle Mohya’s low shot, but it appeared as if the ball wouldn’t go in thanks to Hendriks clearing it off the line. Scally entered into a full-force scramble with Seimen and Mittelstädt for the rebound. Somehow, the USMNT international emerged the winner from this scrum and sent the ball back across the face of goal for Mohya.
The BMG teenage talent then headed the ball across the line after all.
With 20 minutes remaining, Blessin opted to get both Scally and Mohya off the pitch. Gladbach’s amazing turnaround owed much to top-notch performances from those two players. Summer acquisition Yukhym Konoplia – whose injury contributed to Scally remaining with Gladbach – made his club debut.
Demirovic makes matters interesting
Rather poor marking from the freshly inserted Konoplia did finally allow Demirovic to score his second goal of the evening in the 83rd minute. There was some late excitement as the match drew to a close. Hoeneß’ men nevertheless didn’t come particularly close to snatching a draw. Substitute El Khannouss furnished the best chance at 90+1, but Nicolas easily proved equal to the Moroccan international’s effort.
VfB Stuttgart Player Ratings
Dennis Seimen (6) – Lorenz Assignon (5), Ramon Hendriks (6), Finn Jeltsch (5), Maximilian Mittelstädt (4) – Atakan Karazor (4), Angelo Stiller (5) – Leo Sauer (3), Chris Führich (6) – Ermedin Demirovic (6), Dzenan Pejcinovic (6)
Substitutes: Deniz Undav (5), Bilal El Khannouss (5), Jamie Leweling (6), Grischa Prömel (6)
Borussia Mönchengladbach Player Ratings
Moritz Nicolas (5) – Daiki Hashioka (5), Philipp Sander (4), Fabio Chiarodia (4), Joe Scally (8) – Zento Uno (6), Florian Neuhaus (6), Lukas Ullrich (5) – Hugo Bolin (7), Wael Mohya (8) – Shuto Machino (6)
Substitutes: Yukhym Konoplia (4), Robin Hack (6), David Herold (5), Lion Schweers (-), Mathieu Nguefack (-)
GGFN Bundesliga Player of the Match: Wael Mohya (8)
The 17-year-old produced a sensational display that proved decisive in Gladbach’s first Bundesliga victory of the season. Mohya’s dribbling and directness troubled Stuttgart throughout the evening. His outstanding individual work to set up Shuto Machino’s 51st-minute goal – beating two defenders, recovering from a slip, and delivering a perfect cutback – stood out as the match’s finest attacking sequence. Mohya then demonstrated his determination by following up his own effort to head home Gladbach’s third.
The teenager’s emergence has been particularly exciting to follow. His recent promotion to Germany’s U21 squad provided another indication of his growing reputation, while his appearance in the decisive European Championship qualifier against Georgia offered further valuable international experience.
An honorable mention must go to Joe Scally (8). The American international’s ingenious backheel equalizer transformed the match, and his determination to rescue a seemingly lost ball also created Mohya’s decisive third goal. Scally was outstanding, but Mohya’s relentless attacking threat and match-winning contributions give the youngster the narrow edge.
