Manuel Riemann danced with joy, and the popular “Never more… second division!” rang out from the visitors’ corner of VfL Bochum. opposite. The goalkeeper and two-time goalscorer Takuma Asano were the celebrated pros in the promoted team’s 2-1 (1-0) win at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Saturday. Hoffenheim let themselves be duped twice by the duo, which also gave them a setback in the run to the Champions League places.
The Japanese Asano scored after a wide tee shot by keeper Riemann (28th and 59th minutes). A grandstand guest may have followed this with particular interest: national coach Hansi Flick, back from Qatar, where the national team had been drawn to the World Cup opponents Japan, among other things, had made his way to Sinsheim. An excellent choice of stadium, especially since the German national player David Raum was successful for TSG (54th).
“Of course we are absolutely satisfied and overjoyed to have taken three points here today,” said Bochum coach Thomas Reis after the final whistle, eyes shining. With the man marking he ordered, his team kept the opponent in check. In the relegation battle, Bochum has taken another big step forward, the gap to the relegation place where Arminia Bielefeld is standing is nine points.
Two weeks after the cup was thrown in the canceled home game against Borussia Mönchengladbach, VfL showed a courageous and disciplined performance. After the last disappointing 0: 3 at Hertha BSC, the harmless Hoffenheim could not prove that they are ready for the Champions League. The team coached by Sebastian Hoeneß came onto the field in unfamiliar gray jerseys with orange ethnic patterns; The occasion was their “Africa Matchday”, with which they wanted to draw attention to the consequences of the war in Ukraine for the African continent.
Stafylidis is one of the most effective in the Bochum team
The men in white made a more conspicuous start that day: Bochum tested TSG keeper Oliver Baumann with two dangerous long-range shots by Konstantinos Stafylidis (3rd) and Danilo Soares (11th). Stafylidis was one of the most effective players in his team in central midfield, which was unfamiliar to him, also as a guard for playmaker Christoph Baumgartner. He is on loan from Bochum from Hoffenheim until the end of the season. TSG coach Hoeneß had already praised the development of the 28-year-old before the reunion.
After Bochum’s initial offensive, Hoffenheim took control of the game more and more. Above all Baumgartner and Andrej Kramaric found gaps in the VfL defence, but didn’t use them. With a shot like a line into the left corner of the goal after a very strong kick from keeper Riemann, Asano then surprised the opposing goalkeeper Baumann on the other side – 0:1. “We know that football-wise we have one of the strongest goalkeepers in the league, that’s a weapon,” said Reis later. Immediately before the half-time whistle, Milos Pantovic should have made it 2-0: After a bad pass from Angelo Stiller, he ran towards Baumann on his own, but shot wide of the goal. After flank specialist Raum equalized himself, Asano again punished Hoffenheim’s carelessness: Kramaric had previously missed two promising chances, Florian Grillitsch blundered on the fast attacker on Riemann’s tee shot. “We lost today to a really good Bochum team who were ripped off,” said Hoeneß.
