Bochum 1-1 Borussia Dortmund: Dortmund had it all in their own hands. With only five games on the counter, Bayern Munich finally seemed to be able to be knocked off the Bundesliga throne. At relegation candidate Bochum, however, the club handed over the steering wheel again.
VfL Bochum took the lead early in the game thanks to a wonderful goal from Anthony Losilla. Thomas Letsch’s formation could not enjoy it for long. Two minutes after the opening goal, the answer came from Dortmund. After a cross from Malen, the ball came via Sébastien Haller at the feet of Karim Adeyemi; 1-1.
Despite all attempts, a second BVB goal failed to materialise. Malen, who was substituted in the 88th minute, also saw his artful attempt fail with the heel. In the last minutes, Dortmund unsuccessfully claimed a penalty kick. With the courage of desperation they tried to prevent the loss of points.
Referee blamed for Dortmund’s dropped points
Afterwards, the anger at the German top club was enormous. Because of the two points that were lost, but also because of the role of the referee corps. Referee Sascha Stegemann waved a potential penalty kick away, saw no violation in a solid duel for the goal against and missed a handball from Bochum in the final minute. To the disbelief of trainer Edin Terzic.
After the final whistle Terzic strode furiously into the field to get a story from Stegemann. “Three key moments, all wrong decisions for us,” the coach grumbled afterwards. “All I asked him was if he couldn’t go look at the video screen next time. This is extremely bitter for us. Not only were they mistakes, but it could have been a red card for Bochum. Then you have a head start, so much is at stake, and this happens. We had a unique opportunity to win the title.”
The forty-year-old trainer could not hide his disappointment. After ten years without a national title, BVB relinquished pole position in the title fight. He added, “It bothers me a lot. Referees must do everything to avoid making mistakes. That didn’t happen. At 1-0, after five minutes, he should have blown the whistle. That was really clear.”
The goalkeeper saw the images of the alleged penalty kicks in front of the DAZN cameras and became furious. “This was madness,” goalkeeper Gregor Knubel agreed with his trainer. “This has nothing to do with playing the ball. This is a penalty kick. He has to whistle, no doubt about it.”
