Borussia Mönchengladbach vs Aston Villa

Borussia Monchengladbach made home advantage count at Borussia-Park, racing into a two-goal lead before the break and holding off a spirited second-half response to beat Aston Villa 2-1. The German side's crisp finishing either side of the half-hour mark set the tone, leaving Villa chasing the game for long stretches. Tim Kleindienst was the standout, netting twice in the space of four minutes. He opened the scoring in the 30th minute, turning in a low cross from Honorat after a driving run down the right, then doubled the lead in the 34th with a towering header from a corner. Villa's response came through McGinn, who slotted home left-footed from close range in the 68th minute after a cross was left unmarked at the back post. Bookings were shown to Alysson Edwards in the 10th minute and to McGinn himself in the 65th for a rough challenge. Villa pushed hard for an equalizer late on, with Jimoh denied by a smart save after cutting inside in the box, but Gladbach's defense held firm. A solid pre-season workout for the hosts, while Villa will take the improved second-half showing into their remaining friendlies before the season starts in earnest.