Darmstadt takes advantage of goalkeeper mistakes
Bochum squandered a 2-0 lead in the basement duel
March 31, 2024, 9:25 p.m
For a long time everything seemed clear in the basement duel of the Bundesliga: VfL Bochum leads 2-0 against Darmstadt 98. But: The bottom of the table surprisingly comes back and even equalizes – also thanks to a goalkeeping mistake.
Sharing of points in the basement duel: VfL Bochum and Darmstadt 98 missed the important breakthrough in the relegation battle of the Bundesliga. After the 2:2 (1:0) at the end of the 27th matchday at Castroper Straße, the Bochum team has been waiting for a win since the furious success against FC Bayern, bottom team Darmstadt has had to be patient for 20 games.
Philipp Hofmann (30th, 48th), who started as a striker for the first time since matchday 14, scored twice for VfL on Easter Sunday in the Ruhrstadion. Tim Skarke (62nd) and Oscar Vilhelmsson (76th) snatched the Bochum team’s first win since four defeats in a row.
Thanks to the two draws between FSV Mainz 05 (0-0 at RB Leipzig) on Saturday and 1. FC Köln (1-1 at FC Augsburg) this Sunday, the Bochum team remain in the relegation zone for the time being, six points ahead of the relegation zone on distance. However, the Revierklub primarily benefits from the weakness of the last three. Since the introduction of the three-point rule, they have had so few victories between them – eight. Darmstadt is six points behind Mainz.
Lightning and heavy rain
Just in time for kick-off, dark storm clouds rolled over the Ruhr Stadium. Lightning flashed in the sky and heavy rain began. The duel between the two weakest defensive teams in the league got off to a similarly stormy start. Shortly after Bochum’s first dangerous offensive action, the ball was suddenly in the VfL goal. Skarke (3rd) had easily pushed in after a counterattack, but provider Vilhelmsson had been slightly offside with the introductory long ball.
Felix Passlack (15th), who surprisingly started at right-back for Bochum, had the hosts’ first chance shortly afterwards, but shot wide of the goal from a tight angle. After that, VfL stayed on the trigger, but were initially unable to convert their advantages into dangerous goals. A corner from Kevin Stöger, who showed a strong performance in his 100th game in a VfL jersey, finally gave the team the lead. Hofmann gave himself a present for the first time the day after his 31st birthday and pushed the ball over the line from the crowd in the six-yard box.
Until half time, the action took place mainly in the midfield, shortly afterwards there was the next blow in the neck for Darmstadt. Hofmann headed a remarkable cross from the left into the far corner. The goal came a little out of nowhere. Skarke completed a counterattack from a central position on the edge of the penalty area with a low shot. Vilhelmsson then even snatched victory away from Bochum with a powerful shot from a tight angle, also because the ball slipped through the fingers of Bochum keeper Manuel Riemann.