Borussia Mönchengladbach secured a draw at Bayer Leverkusen with a stoppage-time equaliser, offering interim coach Eugen Polanski reason for hope after a demoralising start to the season. The result leaves the club winless and second-bottom, but the performance was a significant improvement on last weekend’s 4-0 home defeat to Werder Bremen.
Haris Tabakovic headed in from a corner delivered by teenage debutant Charles Herrmann in the second minute of added time, sparking celebrations in front of the travelling fans. It was Gladbach’s first goal of the season, and came from unlikely sources: Tabakovic was playing in the Austrian second tier three years ago, while Herrmann had not previously featured in the Bundesliga.
Polanski, promoted from the under-23s, said he had told his players to trust themselves. “The boys stuck to the gameplan and, in the end, the equaliser was absolutely deserved,” he said. “We want to be active, aggressive and play good football, and I think we showed that for long stretches.” Gladbach had a first-half goal by Jens Castrop disallowed by VAR for offside, with Polanski noting it “would have counted” in the Regionalliga.
The interim coach is one of the candidates being considered for the permanent role, alongside Urs Fischer and Edin Terzic. Gladbach have dismissed coaches in three of the past four years, underlining a lack of stability and a financial burden. Polanski’s work with Florian Neuhaus, who came on as a substitute after being disciplined for criticising sporting director Roland Virkus, could be key to the club’s revival.
For Leverkusen, under new coach Kasper Hjulmand, there were moments of promise, including Malik Tillman’s smart finish to open the scoring and Eliesse Ben Seghir’s dribbling. But the draw was a reminder of the work ahead. For Gladbach, the result changes little on paper, yet the late rally could prove vital in launching their season.
