VfL Bochum continued their winning streak in the Ruhr Stadium under coach Thomas Letsch, but for TSG coach Andre Breitenreiter the air in Hoffenheim is getting thinner and thinner. In the 5:2 (3:0) against the struggling Kraichgauer, the Letsch team celebrated their fifth home win in the fifth game, climbed to a non-relegation zone and drew level with TSG on points. Hoffenheim, however, remained without a win in their ninth league game in a row.
A brief hug with Bochum’s “home success coach” Thomas Letsch, then a quick walk into the catacombs: Andre Breitenreiter didn’t want to be there when his players, devastated, moved towards the away block and had to listen to whistles from their own supporters again.
After the 2: 5 (0: 3) against Bochum, who are strong at home, TSG Hoffenheim remained without a win in their ninth league game in a row, while VfL celebrated their fifth home win in five games, climbed to a non-relegation zone and drew level with TSG on points.
TSG sports director Alexander Rosen described the performance on the Sky microphone as “out of the question”. Captain Oliver Baumann also struggled for words: “That’s just not enough. We just can’t get it on the pitch.” Coach Breitenreiter is “just the poorest pig. He tries everything, we don’t need to talk about him,” said the keeper.
In front of 23,700 spectators on Castroper Straße, Philipp Hofmann (22nd), Philipp Förster (30th) and Takuma Asano (40th) gave VfL a comfortable lead – each with a pass from the outstanding Christopher Antwi-Adjei.
Hoffenheim came back twice in the second half through Christoph Baumgartner (49′) and Munas Dabbur (77′), but Bochum’s Erhan Masovic (69′) and Moritz Broschinski (83′) made the decision.
VfL Bochum vs. TSG Hoffenheim: Westphalia continue to get going
While the Westphalians won five in a row at home for the first time since 1997, TSG have been waiting for a league win for 113 days and are sinking deeper and deeper into the relegation battle. “These 10 games without a win don’t give us any good arguments. We’ll discuss it with the coach,” said Rosen after TSG was eliminated from the cup in Leipzig (1-3) during the week.
Strong at home, Bochum tried from the start to find gaps in Hoffenheim’s defensive network. Baumann effortlessly fished down Hofmann’s first attempt at goal (9′), shortly afterwards the TSG keeper was able to clear Asano at the last moment (10′) after a failed header from central defender John Anthony Brooks.
Bochum stayed tuned – and was rewarded. First, center forward Hofmann only had to push an exemplary cross from winger Antwi-Adjei over the line, then birthday boy Förster raised the ball.
The Breitenreiter-Elf around starting XI debutant Thomas Delaney looked shocked, remained unimaginative, after a corner Brooks (29th) headed well over the bar. Then Bochum struck again, again on a pass from Antwi-Adjei. A through pass from the 28-year-old found the Japanese Asano, who let Hoffenheim’s Stanley Nsoki get out with a step-over and tunnelled the pitiful Baumann.
After the disastrous first round, Breitenreiter reacted with a quadruple change, shortly afterwards Hoffenheim sensed the dawn again thanks to Baumgartner. As a result, the game became increasingly heated, Bochum’s Masovic increased, Dabbur shortened before substitute Broschinski put the end to his Bundesliga debut.
VfL Bochum – TSG Hoffenheim: The voices
Thomas Letsch (coach VfL Bochum): “What we criticized last week in Mainz, we brought to the pitch today. The 3-0 half-time lead was absolutely deserved. Then we were a bit too careless, that annoys me. That’s the point of criticism that we chalk up to ourselves But I’m happy that the team rewarded themselves with five goals.”
Andre Breitenreiter (TSG Hoffenheim coach): “It was a more than deserved victory for Bochum. In the first half we had eleven total failures. We were prepared for the opposition, but VfL bought our guts. We didn’t fight at all, at half-time we were just a little lucky 0: 3. At the end of the day we again made mistakes that have little to do with professional football and lost well deservedly.”
VfL Bochum – TSG Hoffenheim: The data for the game
