VFL Bochum 1-1 Borussia Dortmund: Edin Terzic’s side dealt Bundesliga title race blow after draw

Borussia Dortmund were held to a 1-1 draw at Ruhr rivals VfL Bochum as they suffered a setback in their Bundesliga title push.

It wasn’t an ideal start for Edin Terzic’s side after they fell behind to a stunning Anthony Losilla strike within five minutes.

Karim Adeyemi drew Dortmund level almost instantly with a neat tap-in at the back post.

Both sides had plenty of chances to win the game, but neither side showed real conviction in front of goal.

Manuel Riemann made a string of crucial saves at the end of the second half to earn what could be a vital point for Bochum in their bid for Bundesliga survival.

A draw for Dortmund means Bayern Munich can restore control at the top of the league with a win against Hertha Berlin on Sunday.

Bochum took a shock lead after five minutes courtesy of a wonderful Losilla strike to end a 35-game goal drought with his first of the season.

Takuma Asano delivered a low cross which was cleared by Mats Hummels at the front post, but only as far as Losilla who cushioned the ball on the edge of the box before unleashing a thunderous strike that nestled into the far top corner.

But the lead lasted less than two minutes. Donyell Malen – in the form of his life with six goal contributions in Dortmund’s previous five games – drove down the right flank before fizzing a dangerous cross along the six-yard box, which Sebastian Haller helped on for Adeyemi to tap in at the back post.

There were chances for both teams to take the lead in the first half. Jude Bellingham had a strike denied before Adeyemi steered the rebound wide, before Asano found himself through on goal only to be denied by a last-gasp Niklas Sule interception.

The second half began in much the same way and Dortmund were denied a penalty when Adeyemi was brought down by Danilo Soares – who didn’t seem to get anywhere near the ball – but both referee Sascha Stegemann and VAR were uninterested.

Youssoufa Moukoko came off the bench and nearly changed the game straight away when he had a close-range shot saved by Riemann , who was kept busy in the final few minutes.

Bellingham struck quickly after and was denied by the Bochum goalkeeper at full stretch.

Dortmund finally had the ball in the net after Hummels’ header nestled into the bottom right corner, but as he wheeled away to celebrate in front of the travelling Dortmund fans, the assistant referee raised his flag for offside.

Bellingham had another chance right at the end of added time, but his free header bounced the wrong side of the post, and Dortmund were forced to settle for a draw.

TALKING POINT – DORTMUND DROP POINTS, BUT SHOULD THEY HAVE HAD A PENALTY?

The main talking point will be the result and the fact Dortmund have shot themselves in the foot with a draw at relegation-threatened Bochum, but when you analyse the game itself, it seems harsh they were denied a penalty that could have had a real impact on their season.

Adeyemi was brought down by Soares, who didn’t seem to get anywhere near the ball, but the referee waved it away instantly. VAR couldn’t see a clear and obvious error by the official and were happy with his on-field decision to stand.

It could prove to be a huge call in the race for the Meisterschale.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH – MANUEL RIEMANN (BOCHUM)

Dortmund may feel angry and frustrated with just a point, but Bochum will take it all day long, and they have their goalkeeper to thank for that.

He had a brilliant second half and made two or three crucial saves to keep the likes of Malen, Moukoko and Bellingham out as the match entered the final stages – the save to deny Bellingham was especially impressive.

He was commanding in his box all game long and made himself very tricky to beat in the latter stages to earn a valuable result for Bochum.

PLAYER RATINGS

BOCHUM: Riemann 8, Gamboa 7, Ordets 7, Masovic 7, Soares 7, Losilla 7, Osterhage 7, Asano 7, Stoger 7, Antwi-Adjei 7, Hofmann 7

Subs: Stafylidis N/A, Janko N/A, Kunde N/A, Zoller 6, Broschinski 6

DORTMUND: Kobel 6, Ryerson 7, Sule 7, Hummels 7, Guerreiro 8, Bellingham 7, Can 7, Brandt 7, Malen 7, Haller 7, Adeyemi 7

Subs: Reyna N/A, Reus 6, Wolf N/A, Moukoko 6, Modeste N/A

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

5’ – GOAL! BOCHUM 1-0 DORTMUND (LOSILLA) – Bochum get forward through Takuma Asano who delivers a low cross which is cleared by Mats Hummels at the front post, but only as far as Anthony Losilla who takes a touch before striking back across goal and into the far corner! An absolute thunderous strike!

7’ – GOAL! BOCHUM 1-1 DORTMUND (ADEYEMI) – Once again Malen is involved for Dortmund who fizzes a really dangerous cross along the six-yard box, but he might not get a deserved assist as Haller helps it on for Karim Adeyemi to tap in at the back post.

27’ – HUGE CHANCE FOR DORTMUND! Jude Bellingham runs at Losilla and easily beats him before pulling the trigger, but sees his shot saved low. The rebound falls to Adeyemi who tries to get his foot over the ball as he strikes, but he can’t get a good connection and it trickles wide.

32’ – ADEYEMI GOES WIDE! In another good chance for Dortmund, Haller forecasts the run of Adeyemi into the box and squares the ball to the 21-year-old who pokes towards goal first-time, but his effort is off target.

35’ – ASANO GOES CLOSE FOR BOCHUM! The winger finds himself beyond the Dortmund back line but before he can get a clear shot on target, Sule comes across to make a challenge which sends the ball behind.

40’ – MALEN STABS TOWARDS GOAL! And Reimann saves from point-blank range! Another chance for Dortmund.

67’ – HUGE DORTMUND PENALTY SHOUT! Adeyemi is brought down by Soares who gets nowhere near the ball, but the referee waves it away. VAR have checked and there’s no penalty, but that seems harsh.

77’ – ANOTHER BRILLIANT SAVE TO DENY BELLINGHAM! Reimann at full stretch to tip away a curled Bellingham effort from just inside the box! Bochum hanging on here, a good spell for the visitors.

90’ – DORTMUND HAVE THE BALL IN THE NET! But Hummels is offside! So close, but so far for Dortmund! He nods in from close-range but drifted offside.

90’+8 – BELLINGHAM HEADS WIDE! His header at the back post goes agonisingly wide in what is sure to be the last chance of the game!

KEY STAT

• Borussia Dortmund haven’t won any of their last six competitive away matches (D3, L3), their worst run since October/November 2019 (five games).