Borussia Mönchengladbach Head of Sport Rouven Schröder expressed considerable relief following Friday evening’s dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over VfB Stuttgart. After six consecutive Bundesliga defeats, the Foals finally collected their first points of the 2026/27 campaign and avoided becoming the first team in Bundesliga history to lose their opening seven league fixtures.
Speaking to reporters in the mixed zone after the match, Schröder celebrated the contributions of the two players who proved instrumental in Gladbach’s remarkable turnaround.
The Gladbach executive had reason to fear another miserable evening when goalkeeper Moritz Nicolas failed to keep out Ermedin Demirovic’s speculative fifth-minute effort. Stuttgart dominated much of the opening half-hour before Joe Scally’s ingenious backheel equalizer in the 38th minute breathed new life into the visitors.
Seventeen-year-old Wael Mohya then took center stage, brilliantly setting up Shuto Machino’s 51st-minute goal before scoring Gladbach’s third himself in the 66th. Demirovic pulled one back late on, but Alexander Blessin’s team held firm to secure their long-awaited first victory.
Schröder praises Gladbach’s resilience and emerging matchwinners
Speaking to Sky Germany after the final whistle, Schröder admitted that the early Stuttgart opener had brought back some painfully familiar feelings.
“You think to yourself, here we go again,” Schröder remarked. “A huge weight has been lifted. The lads have thoroughly earned their reward.”
Schröder also highlighted the considerable physical exertion required to see out the victory. The Gladbach players expended so much energy that, according to their sporting director, they were already looking toward the bench for energy bars by the 65th minute.
The executive reserved particularly enthusiastic praise for Mohya, whose individual performance proved decisive.
“Wow!” Schröder exclaimed in his post-match Sky interview. “Wael is 17. The way he dribbles forward, the audacity with which he sets up the goal … Hats off!”
Mohya’s remarkable contribution came amid Gladbach’s considerable injury problems. With Isac Lidberg unavailable, Shuto Machino was called upon to lead the attack. The Japanese forward’s goal owed virtually everything to Mohya’s exceptional work on the left flank.
Scally also played a decisive role, scoring the equalizer and refusing to abandon a seemingly lost ball in the penalty area before supplying Mohya for Gladbach’s third.
Schröder urges perspective after Gladbach’s first victory
“This can only be a start,” the executive cautioned in the mixed zone. “For the entire club, it’s a chance to breathe again. The last few weeks have been tough. Now we can simply enjoy the feeling of winning.”
“Victories simply taste sweet,” Schröder told reporters in on his way out of the building. “I’m very happy that Wael showed what he’s capable of and Joe Scally can keep it up.”
The Foals now turn their attention to Tuesday evening’s DFB-Pokal encounter away at Karlsruher SC, where Blessin’s charges will attempt to build on the momentum generated by their dramatic victory in Stuttgart.