With their first Bundesliga win in 231 days, VfL Bochum has gained new hope in the relegation battle – and is hoping for the next one during the winter break.
A week after the Köpenick scandal, the first three-pointer of the season was finally achieved in the 15th attempt with a 2-0 (2-0) win in the basement duel against 1. FC Heidenheim and a conciliatory end to a historically bad year.
With their goals, Moritz Broschinski (6th) and Matus Bero (38th) gave the bottom of the table a sense of success in the league for the first time since May 5th (3-2 against Hoffenheim) – only the fifth all year. The next could come on January 9th, when the DFB sports court hears the Bochum team’s objection after throwing a lighter in the 1-1 draw at Union Berlin. At Christmas, the gap to Heidenheim in the relegation place, who lost their seventh Bundesliga game in a row, is four points – it could be reduced to two before the restart.
Three days after the 1-1 draw against FC St. Gallen, with which FCH lost direct entry into the round of 16 of the Conference League, coach Frank Schmidt changed to six positions. VfL coach Dieter Hecking returned to the two-man attack with Philipp Hofmann and Broschinski after two games with only one tip.
In the Bochum goal there was again Patrick Drewes, who was hit in the head by a lighter from the Union block on Saturday a week ago at the Alte Försterei and was unable to continue playing – which is why the scandalous game ended after a long interruption with a non-aggression pact and the protest of the VfL brought with it.
The 31-year-old saw his team get off to a strong start, which was rewarded early on: after a cross from Ibrahima Sissoko, Broschinski scored only the third goal in the sixth game under Hecking with a direct shot. The Heidenheim defense, which had conceded 20 goals in the previous six Bundesliga games, was wobbling alarmingly, Bochum attacked early and hard and switched quickly. Nevertheless, the guests had a chance to equalize: Patrick Mainka’s header just went over the crossbar (23′).
Only in the last few minutes before the break did Heidenheim become more active – but VfL scored: After Bero initially missed the goal after an exemplary counterattack (37th), he gave FCH keeper Kevin Müller no chance with a shot into the corner.
Schmidt made three changes at the restart, Heidenheim won more duels, but Drewes was still underused in the Bochum goal. It wasn’t until the 68th minute that he had to intervene for the first time on a cross, but in return Bero missed the 3-0 in front of the empty goal. Heidenheim tried everything, but there was hardly any danger in front of Drewes. Instead, Daschner supposedly made everything clear four minutes after his substitution, but his goal was canceled by the video assistant due to an offside position (89th).