Borussia Monchengladbach picked up their first point of this Champions League campaign on Wednesday as they held Italian Champions Juventus to a draw in Turin.
Goalkeepers Yann Sommer and Gianluigi Buffon were the strongest performers of the night, doing well to keep out the opposition in a match where possession was dominated by the home side.
Glacbach fight with the big boys, but still work to be done
Andre Schubert’s side showed great character as they resolutely held out a dangerous Juventus side, despite surrendering the lion’s share of possession to the Italian side. Custodian Sommer was fantastic in goals behind a sturdy back four, however the next step for the Germans is to find once more their counter-attacking prowess. Die Fohlen struggled to create clear-cut chances in the same way they used to, often failing to break out on the counter with purpose. The pace they possess out wide should be utilised more than it is, as Schubert’s side looks to capitalise on its own strong defence.
Buffon the record breaker
As the clock ticked across to the 73rd minute, legendary Juventus shot stopper Buffon entered the record books, passing Alessandro Del Piero for the most minutes played for the club. Del Piero’s tally of 48,867minutes will now be built on by the towering Italian, who is showing no signs of slowing down, even at the ripe age of 37. Another strong performance from him here gave the Juventus players confidence to build on, and he forms a big part of their side’s backbone.
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