Dynamo Kiev beat Monchengladbach in Champions League playoff

Berlin, Aug 22: Dynamo Kiev came from behind to beat their German hosts Borussia Monchengladbach 3-1 in the first leg of UEFA Champions League playoff.

Playing after 16 years in the Champions League, the “Foals” failed to advance in the tournament in front of 45,075 spectators at Borussia Park on Tuesday by not being able to press home the advantage of scoring first, reports Xinhua.

After missing a couple of scoring opportunities, Monchengladbach opened the scoring in the 13th minute through Finnish international midfielder Alexander Ring. Midfielder Juan Arrango assisted with a cross-field pass into the penalty area where Ring controlled the ball and shrugged off a defender to slot home.

Gladbach were apparently in control of the match, but soon Kiev were on the offensive. Against the run of play, Dynamo stunned the hosts with the first shot on target, defender Taras Mikhalik levelling the score.

The equaliser took the wind out of Gladbach sails and Kiev capitalised on a misplaced pass in the midfield in the 36th minute to get into the lead, striker Andriy Yarmolenko capping a fast break to score.

The Ukrainians seemed happy with the 2-1 lead and defended deep waiting for a counterattack as Gladbach kept creating chances.

To make things worse for the hosts, Luuk de Jong netted a clearance attempt into his own goal to make it 3-1.

“We played well and scored a nice goal but we lost our concentration. A match lasts 90 minutes and not 30 minutes,” Monchengladbach coach Lucien Favre said.

Following the 3-1 defeat to Kiev, Gladbach will need at least a 3-0 away win in the second leg next week to qualify for the group stage of Champions League.