Gladbach move into top four in Germany

BERLIN: Borussia Moenc­hengladbach beat Cologne 2-1 on Wednesday to move back into the Bundesliga top four in the first game in German top-flight history to be played behind closed doors, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Marco Rose’s Gladbach sit six points behind leaders Bayern Munich and two points clear of fifth-placed Bayer Leverkusen in the race for Champions League qualification.

Last weekend, German health minister Jens Spahn requested that all events in the country with more than 1,000 people be cancelled “until further notice”.

The home side, who led the table earlier in the season, took a 32nd-minute lead through Breel Embolo in the near-empty Borussia Park.

An own goal from visiting defender Jorge Mere doubled the advantage 20 minutes from time, and despite a late strike from Cologne forward Mark Uth, Gladbach held on to bounce back from last Friday’s 2-1 loss to second-placed Boru­ssia Dortmund. Their win was greeted by fireworks set off by around 500 fans gathered outside the stadium.