Denis Zakaria (L) of Moenchengladbach vies with Marcel Tisserand of VfL Wolfsburg during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Monchengladbach and VfL Wolfsburg at Borussia-Park in Monchengladbach, Germany on April 20, 2018. Borussia Monchengladbach won 3-0.(Xinhua/Ulrich Hufnagel)
BERLIN, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Borussia Monchengladbach increased Wolfsburg's relegation worries after winning 3-0 at the opener of the 31st round in Bundesliga on Friday.
The "Foals" maintain their chances for a berth in UEFA Europa League after beating harmless Wolfsburg on three first-half goals.
Dieter Hecking's men ensured a flying start on home turf as Lars Stindl intercepted Riechedly Bazoer's pass to break the deadlock from inside the box with eight minutes played.
Wolfsburg failed to gain a foothold into the game whereas Monchengladbach pressed relentlessly to double the advantage in the 35th minute when Raffael poked home Jonas Hofmann' s rebound from close range.
Things went from bad to worse in the closing period of the first half as Christoph Kramer curled a free kick past Wolfsburg custodian Koen Casteels in the 44th minute.
The "Wolves" staged a lively start into the second half when Riechedly Bazoer tested goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
However, Monchengladbach regained control of the proceedings and pressed Wolfsburg into the defense.
Casteels remained Wolfsburg best man on the pitch as the goalkeeper avoided a higher defeat by defusing the efforts from Hofmann and Jannik Vestergaard in the closing period.
Even though the hosts were not able to extend their lead, they were in full control of the reins until the final whistle.
With the result, 14th placed Wolfsburg remain in touching distance to the relegation zone. Monchengladbach stay on the 8th place with a three-point distance to the international business.
"We saw a very good performance. We played offensively minded and aggressive. Therefore we reaped a deserved victory. We should not make the mistake to talk of Europe right now," Monchengladbach coach Dieter Hecking said.
"We conceded very easy goals and helped Monchengladbach with simple turnovers. We did not play as a team. We have to address things clearly now," Wolfsburg coach Bruno Labbadia said.
The following fixtures are scheduled for Saturday: Leipzig host Hoffenheim, Eintracht Frankfurt see Hertha Berlin, relegation threatened Hamburg face Freiburg, Hannover encounter newly crowned Bayern Munich, Stuttgart clash with Werder Bremen and third placed Borussia Dortmund see Bayer Leverkusen.
