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BERLIN: Jonas Hofmann scored his first Bundesliga hat-trick as Borussia Moenchengladbach hammered Mainz 05 4-0 on Sunday to climb to second place in the standings.
The 26-year-old winger put the hosts ahead in the 21st minute and almost got a second with an audacious lob on the half hour mark.
He again got onto the score sheet in the 53rd when he slotted in at the far post, before completing his hat-trick 10 minutes later, firing into an empty goal after rounding keeper Florian Mueller to finish off yet another quick Gladbach break.
Thorgan Hazard, who helped set up two of Hofmann’s goals, had made it 3-0 in the 58th with Mainz capitulating early in the second half.
Glabdach moved up to second place on 17 points, three behind leaders Borussia Dortmund after eight rounds and ahead of Werder Bremen on goal difference.
Earlier Hertha Berlin stumbled to a 1-1 draw at home against Freiburg, to drop to sixth on 15 points.
Ondrej Duda fired the home side into an early lead with his sixth goal of the season before Robin Koch equalised for the visitors in the 36th.
There was late drama at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium when Hertha were awarded a penalty two minutes from time that was overturned by VAR.
Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2018
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