Borussia Mönchengladbach’s false start deepens after Hoffenheim defeat

Borussia Mönchengladbach lost 1:2 at home to 1899 Hoffenheim on 18 October 2026, and the result pushed their Bundesliga start into territory they do not want. Gladbach now have six defeats to open the season, with zero points and a goal difference of -11.

Gladbach's record-book start

The scale of the problem is bigger than one bad afternoon. Only VfL Bochum, FSV Mainz 05 and Fortuna Düsseldorf had previously suffered six league defeats to start a season, so Gladbach are now in an unwanted group that already feels far too familiar.

Alexander Blessin tried to pull some encouragement from the training ground after the game, saying, quoted by SPORT1 in translated comments from German: "I see many good, positive things because I also see the boys every day in training. And that gives me courage and hope for the next games." He added: "We all know that at some point the points have to come."

That pressure was obvious in the stands too, where the home fans shouted: "We want to see you fight!" It was a fair demand after another defeat, and Gladbach did not look like a side with much margin for error.

Hoffenheim's needed response

The win mattered for 1899 Hoffenheim as well. They arrived after four consecutive competitive defeats, and this result ended that run while lifting them from 17th to 14th in the Bundesliga table.

The match swung quickly after half-time. Wael Mohya levelled for Gladbach in the 49th minute, but Alexander Prass restored Hoffenheim's lead five minutes later. Bambasé Conté had opened the scoring in the 11th minute, his second Bundesliga goal of the season.

Moritz Nicolas made six saves for Gladbach, which tells you the goalkeeper was not the issue on its own. The broader problem is that they are still waiting for a result that gives the season a foothold, and the next league fixture will already carry more weight than it should.