RB Leipzig has to accept the next setback after the 7-0 defeat in the Champions League against Manchester City. On the 25th Bundesliga matchday, Leipzig lost 0-1 (0-0) at relegation candidates VfL Bochum.
Erhan Masovic (49th) scored the goal of the day on Saturday (03/18/2023) after a relay header. “It’s more than annoying that we at RB Leipzig lose a Bundesliga game with a goal like that,” said coach Marco Rose plainly after the game. VfL showed a convincing, committed performance, while Leipzig disappointed and only created big chances in the final phase. In the ninth competitive duel between the two teams, Bochum scored points for the first time.
RB left important points in the fight for the Champions League places. VfL, on the other hand, improved after the 2-0 win at 1. FC Köln last week and increased their lead over the relegation place to four points. Two weeks ago they were last after losing 2-0 to Schalke. VfL trainer Thomas Letsch was correspondingly satisfied on the sports show microphone: “We threw ourselves into everything. The plan we had worked out.”
Next throw leads to Bochum leadership
Bochum started with commitment and balanced the game with snappy duels. Despite decent approaches, Leipzig did not manage to finish dangerously. So two warped degrees from Bochum’s Takuma Asano and Leipzig’s Timo Werner remained the most promising scenes in the first half. The 0-0 at the break was performance-based.
At the beginning of the second half, a long throw-in gave Bochum the lead, three headers later the ball was in the net. Philipp Hofmann extended, Asano forced Janis Blaswich to save, Masovic used the rebound.
Leipzig’s Silva misses the equalizer
Leipzig reacted directly with a double chance from David Silva. First he headed a free kick well over the goal (55th), then after a cross pass he didn’t hit the ball right in front of the empty goal – that should have been the equalizer. On the other side, Asano shot just over the bar (61st).
The game remained fast-paced with playful advantages for Leipzig and an impressive fight from Bochum. VfL did not limit itself to defending, but remained dangerous on the counterattack. In the final phase, Riemann saved several brilliantly and in the end there was a lot of luck: Silva hit the inside post after a top solo by Dominik Szoboszlai, from where the ball jumped into Riemann’s arms.
Bochum as a guest in Frankfurt
At the start of the 26th matchday, Bochum is required to play away at Eintracht Frankfurt (Friday, March 31, 2023 at 8:30 p.m.). A day later, Leipzig welcomes 1. FSV Mainz 05 (3:30 p.m.).
