Comical own goal brings about the demise of Bochum.
VfL Bochum begins the relegation playoffs on a rough note, as they are quickly down by a catastrophic own goal against Düsseldorf. Fortuna Düsseldorf closes the gap in the second half, with a goalkeeping error leaving the door to the Bundesliga wide open. The potential of relegation looms over Bochum, who may face their seventh in the club's history.
Fortuna Düsseldorf emerges victorious in the first leg at Bundesliga 16th-placed VfL Bochum, winning 3-0 (1-0), with "slithery" Christos Tzolis leading the way. Düsseldorf holds all the power to once again join the Bundesliga in the second leg on Monday.
Coach Daniel Thioune's side receives a helping hand from an embarrassing own goal from Philipp Hofmann (13') after Tzolis skillfully headed a corner directly into the goal in front of a packed and vocal crowd of 26,000 at VfL Bochum's Ruhrstadion. Felix Klaus (64') and Yannik Engelhardt (72') follow with their own scores against a stunned Bochum. While a return to the Bundesliga after four years is within Fortuna's reach, Bochum faces the possibility of relegation after three seasons in the top flight.
Bochum's Keven Schlotterbeck stated after the game, "It's tough after a game like this. The guys need to work hard on Monday, hope is not lost. We don't want to get relegated like this." Kevin Stöger added on Sky Sports, "We made a mess of it as a team today."
Bochum started the match without regular goalkeeper Manuel Riemann, who was left off the roster for the two games due to disagreements regarding team matters. Veteran Andreas Luthe filled in as goalkeeper. Incidentally, captain Anthony Losilla also began the match on the bench. Düsseldorf's captain André Hoffmann remained on the side until later. Both teams engaged in a physical match, as Bayern professional Leon Goretzka watched from the stands wearing a VfL shirt.
The game started off with a corner from Düsseldorf's top scorer from the second division, Tzolis. The ball hit the post and bounced off Hofmann's leg, landing in his own net. This marked Bochum's fifth own goal of the season. In response, VfL attempted to create scoring opportunities through crosses, but were ultimately thwarted by Düsseldorf's formidable defense.
After the break, Fortuna became more aggressive in their attacks. Despite their physical strength, they initially lacked precision. Stöger's free kick for Bochum soared just over the goalpost (21st). With growing confidence, Düsseldorf gained possession and broke through Bochum's defense with Tzolis delivering a strong assist. Klaus completed the sequence, making it 2-0.
Then, Düsseldorf really began to gain ground. Luthe, standing in for Riemann, screwed up a free-kick from Klaus that left the door wide open for Engelhardt, who capitalized on the mistake. Klaus narrowly missed placing the next Düsseldorf goal on the crossbar (82'). Some disappointed Bochum fans left the stadium early.
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Source: www.ntv.de
