Marco Rose turned away disappointed at the referee’s final whistle. Although the Borussia Dortmund coach was sitting behind the window in a box in Bochum’s Ruhrstadion, the frustration was almost palpable. His team, which he was not allowed to look after from the sidelines due to a yellow card suspension, scored 1-1 at VfL on Saturday. After losing in the top game against FC Bayern a week ago, it was the next setback for Dortmund in the title race. The Munich team also won their home game against Mainz and are now six points ahead of the table.
Erling Haaland also showed the discontent. Shortly after the end of the game, he approached the BVB fans in the stands and kept raising his hands. It was not difficult to see what he was trying to express with his gesture: What should we do? Dortmund had numerous good chances, but after falling behind with a Bochum penalty from Sebastian Polter (40th minute) they only scored with a volley from substitute Julian Brandt to equalize (85th). A goal from Marius Wolf (54th) was not recognized because Jude Bellingham was criminally offside.
Bellingham of all people. After the controversial penalty decision for Bayern a week ago, he harshly criticized the referee and received a fine from the German Football Association. Now he was in the field of vision of goalkeeper Manuel Riemann when the Wolf let the shot pass. Referee Matthias Jöllenbeck received a message from the video assistant and looked at the scene on the screen. Then he decided: Bellingham’s position on the sidelines was to be seen as active intervention. Brandt sympathized with the referee’s interpretation: “That’s perfectly fine,” he said on Sky TV.
“That’s on my cap”
The action of the Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel shortly before half-time was not okay. Dan-Axel Zagadou had put Bellingham in a completely unnecessary trouble with a pass. Bochum reacted quickly. A pass into the depths, past the surprised substitute defender Marco Reus, came to Christopher Antwi-Adjei. He poked the ball past the falling goalkeeper and was brought down by his tackle – a clear penalty. “I have to do better,” said Kobel. “This is on my head and is very, very annoying.” Polter was transforming for sure.
Before falling behind, Dortmund had four good chances to take the lead. After a back pass, Bochum’s goalkeeper Riemann carelessly went into dribbling. He played around Haaland, but then lost the ball to Bellingham. But the Borussia were so perplexed that after the pass from Marco Reus they were given offside (16th minute). The greatest possibility followed two minutes later. After winning the ball, Haaland laid across the completely detached Bellingham. His shot from 13 meters, however, fended off by foot in a world-class manner.
Assistant Alexander Zickler (picture) represented the suspended Dortmund coach Marco Rose together with René Maric on the sidelines.
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Image: AFP
It went on in this rhythm. Haaland just missed a cross from Bellingham (19th), then a Bochum Reus shot at, then Riemann was able to secure the ball. And once again BVB was just about to take the lead. After Bellingham went it alone, Haaland got the shot; but it turned out too weak, so that Riemann was able to parry (27.). The second half started as a rapid fireworks display for Dortmund. Nico Schulz (46th), Reus and Haaland (48th), again Haaland (51st), Bellingham (52nd) and Zagadou (52nd) also failed to get the ball into the goal during their attempts.
After Wolf’s denied hit, the pace of opportunities decreased a little. Reus’ shot was cleared on the line (62nd), the ball from Bochum’s Erhan Masovic flew just past his own goal (65th). It was only in the final phase that Dortmund came close to goal again through Emre Can (79th) and two times Bellingham (82nd and 83rd). Then Brandt scored, but it wasn’t enough for more than one point. “It’s not just bad luck. We had enough chances to win the game, ”said the goalscorer, who was fit again after his bad head collision at the Bayern game.
Within seven days, the gap to Bayern has grown from one to six points. After just 15 match days, it looks like the all-time champions will win their tenth title in a row. Dortmund, who played not badly, but failed because of the bad exploitation of chances and did not concede again, now have two more tasks before the short break at the turn of the year: On Wednesday, the last Fürth will come, next Saturday it will go to Hertha BSC. Without two BVB victories, the Bundesliga is in danger of getting bored again in the new year at the top.
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