“This may be the only chance in my life”
Dortmund wanted to extend their lead over Bayern to four points in Bochum. But instead there is now a risk of losing the lead in the table. BVB were denied two penalties. Coach Edin Terzic reacted accordingly angrily.
Dhe Bochum fans sang after the eight-minute stoppage time had finally ended. “Only FCB will become German champions,” said the prophecy from the fan block, which maintains a friendship with the Munich team.
Your VfL had just ended the derby against the leaders of the table 1-1 (1-1) and thus not only secured a valuable point in the relegation battle, but also gave FC Bayern a possible advantage in the fight for the title. Dortmund dropped feathers in Bochum at the start of the 30th matchday and may have gambled away their best starting position in years. The pursuer from Munich can overtake again with a home win over bottom Hertha BSC on Sunday.
“It’s just extremely bitter. We had a number of chances, but from our point of view there were at least three key scenes that were just very unfortunate today,” said Dortmund coach Edin Terzic, citing two missed penalties for his team and the goal he conceded in advance Foul on Emre Can wanted to have recognized: “The two penalty scenes are very clear. You don’t need me for that,” said Terzic, who then fell into an understandably plaintive tone in view of the title fight: “It’s a unique opportunity for us. For me maybe the only one in my life. The only thing I asked was that he look at it.” Referee Sascha Stegemann, however, stuck to his assessment without looking at the pictures.
Two early goals in Bochum
In front of 26,000 spectators in the sold-out Ruhr Stadium, Bochum goalscorer Anthony Losilla (5th minute) snatched BVB from all dreams of the first championship since 2012. Even Karim Adeyemi’s immediate goal (7th) couldn’t change the fact that Dortmund went on to win across all competitions went without a win away from home for the sixth time in a row.
On the other hand, the table-15. from Bochum have every reason to be happy. After surprisingly winning a point in a district derby that was fought over long stretches, the club found new courage in the fight to stay in the class.
“Friday evening, derby, one team wants to be German champions, the other wants to stay in the league – there’s nothing better,” said VfL coach Thomas Letsch shortly before kick-off. And the teams offered the crowd a lot of spectacle right from the start, each scoring a goal with their first chances.
No penalty despite fouls for BVB
When Bochum took the lead early on, Losilla hit the ball perfectly from almost 17 meters into the corner, BVB goalkeeper Gregor Kobel stretched in vain. This was preceded by a successful dribbling by Takuma Asano, who was preferred to Simon Zoller at VfL, against Raphael Guerreiro.
But the answer from the title contender, for whom captain Marco Reus was again not in the starting XI one day after his contract extension, followed promptly: After a long ball, Danilo Soares misjudged Dortmund’s attacking right side, so that Donyell Malen broke through and passed the ball sharply inside could. Sébastien Haller touched him with his toe, but Adeyemi pushed him over the line to make it 1-1.
As a result, the BVB team, which Letsch called the “world selection”, tried to control the game and created more chances. In the 26th minute, Jude Bellingham and Adeyemi had a double chance after a counterattack for Dortmund’s second goal on their feet. Bellingham’s shot was parried by the recently heavily criticized VfL goalkeeper Manuel Riemann. The hosts obviously had their problems with the very conspicuous Adeyemi.
But BVB also revealed weaknesses in the transition game, which Asano (35th) and Philipp Hofmann (43rd) almost punished. All in all, Bochum presented themselves much better than the 1:5 home defeat against VfL Wolfsburg a week earlier. They countered Dortmund’s love of play with strength in duels and the joy of running and also looked for a way forward. BVB sports director Sebastian Kehl had expected nothing else: “They will scratch, bite and do everything.”
Even after the change of sides, VfL defended compactly and passionately. Dortmund often lacked ideas in the last third of the field, and the slippery lawn due to the increasing rain also made their combination game more difficult. The visitors were unlucky when they were denied a penalty after Soares had lobbed Adeyemi in the penalty area (65′). BVB trainer Terzic was very upset about this decision on the sidelines. “You can whistle. Can you whistle, that’s no question,” admitted VfL captain Losilla.
About a quarter of an hour before the end, Terzic brought in two fresh attacking players in Reus and Youssoufa Moukoko – and that paid off immediately. After a pass from Reus, Moukoko (75′) had a great chance to make it 2-1 for Dortmund, who increased the pressure significantly. Mats Hummels scored an offside goal just before the end of regulation time. Even a handball by Bochumer in the penalty area was not sanctioned.
“The chances were there, especially in the first half. That annoys me,” said BVB professional Julian Brandt: “The controversial scenes don’t make it any better, but in the end I’m more annoyed about what we could have influenced: our own inability.”