Schalke celebrates in minute 90+3
Penalties are Hertha’s downfall in the basement duel
03/18/2023, 5:28 p.m
VfB Stuttgart and Hertha BSC are the losers of the 25th Bundesliga matchday. In the relegation battle, Hoffenheim manages to liberate themselves despite the flash red, while Schalke still scores almost in the last second. Bochum duped Leipzig again after their Champions League smack.
VfL Bochum – Lawn Ball Sports Leipzig 1:0 (0:0)
Lawn ball sport Leipzig slipped badly in the Bundesliga after the crashing end in the Champions League. Four days after the 7-0 debacle at Manchester City, the DFB Cup winner lost 1-0 (0-0) at VfL Bochum, who were threatened with relegation, and lost important points in the race to return to the premier class. Bochum got a little air in the relegation battle with the first competitive win against the Saxons. Erhan Masovic (48th) scored a header for the Westphalians, who celebrated a threesome in the Ruhr Stadium after two home defeats in a row. In their ninth duel with VfL, Leipzig did not leave the field as a winner for the first time.
Right from the start, Leipzig tried to develop their combination game, but initially couldn’t cope with the duel from Bochum at all. VfL, on the other hand, barely managed to bring their fast wingers Takuma Asano and Christopher Antwi-Adjei into play. So it took until the 22nd minute before Timo Werner got the first shot on goal, but it clearly missed his target.
The goal of the day.
(Photo: IMAGO/Treese)
A free kick from Dominik Szoboszlai well over the goal (33′) was the second, equally harmless goal for the guests. Bochum defended with concentration, didn’t leave much room and won most of the duels. Leipzig tried several times via Halstenberg and Werner on the left, but without success. With 66 percent possession of the ball, the cup winner couldn’t buy anything at half-time – there hadn’t been any real chances to score until then.
Shortly after the restart it got even worse for the favorites: After a header by Philipp Hofmann, Janis Blaswich parried an Asano header, but then Masovic headed in – it was VfL’s first Bundesliga goal against RB in the fourth duel. Leipzig reacted with increased attacking efforts, but initially there were no clear chances. Bochum continued to win the decisive duels and had luck on their side in added time when the visitors hit the post.
TSG Hoffenheim – Hertha BSC 3: 1 (2: 0)
Led by penalty king Andrej Kramaric, TSG Hoffenheim sent a sign of life in the relegation battle for the first time in months. After seven bankruptcies and a total of 14 games without a win in a row, the previous bottom team won 3-1 (2-0) in the basement duel against Hertha BSC. Hertha-Schreck Kramaric first by hand (24th), then by penalty kick (37th) and Ihlas Bebou (51st) scored for the Kraichgauer, who should have saved the job of their coach Pellegrino Matarazzo. Kramaric has not scored as often against any other club as against Berlin (twelve goals).
The TSG victory was no longer in danger after Munas Dabbur received a red card for a serious foul (71′). Stevan Jovetic (90 + 2) shortened only in injury time. With the three, TSG (22 points) overtook Hertha (21) in the table. The Berliners conceded their eighth away bankruptcy in a row.
Shortly before kick-off, statements by TSG sporting director Alexander Rosen left little doubt that Matarazzo’s job was at stake. “The job of a sports director is to evaluate performance, development and results,” Rosen said on Sky: “We need points. It’s time we delivered results.” Matarazzo himself said he understood “how the business works”.
Pavel Kaderabek had the best opportunity in the early stages for Hoffenheim (8′) after Kramaric’s preparatory work. Hertha had little to offer on the offensive. Hoffenheim were close to taking the lead in the 20th minute, but Kramaric was saved by goalkeeper Oliver Christensen. Shortly thereafter, the Croatian did better from the penalty spot. The ball had previously landed in Tolga Cigerci’s hand.
Only five minutes later, Kramaric kept his nerve again from eleven meters. Bebou was fouled by Filip Uremovic on the counterattack. At the beginning of the second half, Hertha coach Sandro Schwarz brought in two fresh offensive players in Dodi Lukebakio and Jovetic. Shortly afterwards, Hoffenheim were lucky that Hertha didn’t get a penalty after a handball by Robert Skov (49′). A little later, Bebou completed a strong counterattack on the other side. After that, there were more goals for TSG against weak Berliners. Dabbur did his team a disservice by grossly fouling Lukebakio just two minutes after his substitution.
FC Augsburg – FC Schalke 04 1: 1 (0: 0)
Match report will follow shortly.
VfB Stuttgart – VfL Wolfsburg 0: 1 (0: 0)
Match report will follow shortly.