29th matchday
Bochum (dpa) – Champions League candidate Bayer Leverkusen did not get beyond a draw in the west duel at VfL Bochum. Coach Gerardo Seoane’s team drew 0-0 with Revierclub in a balanced game.
However, the Rhinelanders remain third in the table even without a win and still have the qualification for the premier class in their own hands. A penalty goal by Moussa Diaby in the 65th minute didn’t count because the 22-year-old from Leverkusen slipped and shot himself while taking it.
“It’s a shame that we weren’t dangerous on offense. We were too ineffective for my taste. We tried, Bochum’s defensive line did well too. From our perspective, it’s a bit too little,” admitted Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky at DAZN and Robert Andrich added: “In the dangerous areas we weren’t goal-oriented enough, we didn’t have the killer instinct.”
Cup toss on topic
Bochum took another step towards relegation in the first home game since the game against Borussia Mönchengladbach was canceled due to a cup thrown in front of 25,000 spectators in the Ruhr Stadium. With a ten-point lead over the relegation place, the promoted team can plan for another year in the Bundesliga.
In addition, striker Simon Zoller made his acclaimed comeback after suffering a cruciate ligament tear seven months ago. “We deserved the point. It’s been a long seven months. I’m happy to be back. I’ve had a good time here. The fans are behind you. I’m happy to be back attacking again,” said Zoller.
With a large poster “Sieg oder Becherwurf” the Leverkusen fans once again referred to the scandal on March 18th. VfL has installed additional video technology to quickly convict potential perpetrators in the future. In addition, the stadium announcer once again pointed out that throwing beverage cups is not part of fan culture. There was applause from the stands.
Tah hurts himself
On the field, where the kick-off was slightly delayed due to numerous flares in the Bayer curve, both teams hardly needed any warm-up time. Both Bochum and Leverkusen were looking for a quick way forward and had their first actions in the penalty area early on. However, it was not really dangerous at first.
After half an hour, Leverkusen’s German international Jonathan Tah was injured. Mitchel Bakker came on for the central defender.
Riemann hardly required
Despite the bad news, Bayer took control and developed a playful advantage in midfield. However, the final allusion to the top was often too imprecise. The Werkself didn’t manage to stage their top striker Patrik Schick, who made his comeback from the start after being substituted on last weekend. Bochum goalkeeper Manuel Riemann was not seriously challenged.
The people in front tried to counterattack, but often didn’t move up fast enough. A long-range shot by Danilo Soares, which smacked the Bayer goal’s crossbar, was by far the greatest chance of the first half (42′).
After the change of sides, Leverkusen withdrew a bit. Bochum now had advantages, but Leverkusen almost took the lead. Referee Felix Zwayer awarded a penalty after Eduard Löwen, who had just come on, fouled Paulinho. Diaby also scored, but the goal didn’t count. Something similar happened to Cologne’s Florian Kainz in the round of 16 of the DFB Cup when FC lost to Hamburger SV.