After a delay of almost an hour, VfB Stuttgart suffered the next setback and now has to deal with the anger surrounding the appearance of their own fans in the 0-1 defeat at VfL Bochum.
Because Swabians’ supporters had blocked escape gates and escape routes with fence flags, the start of the second half was delayed for a long time.
This is a “unique situation that is difficult to comment on,” said VfB sports director Fabian Wohlgemuth on Sky. “I think a game canceled due to non-compliance with the house rules would have been difficult for everyone involved to digest. The long interruption was obviously even more difficult for us to digest. That has to be analyzed, we will involve our fan representatives and clarify the situation in the discussion in Stuttgart. “
The game only resumed after about an hour
Those responsible for the Swabians tried to influence their own fans in the guest area of the Bochum stadium during the interruption. Among other things, it was checked whether a rescue gate could be opened. Referee Bastian Dankert only continued the game after around an hour when a satisfactory solution was found.
“The rules say that after 30 minutes you say: Do we still see a little light at the end of the tunnel or not. We were informed after 30 minutes that there was already a possibility that we could continue the game again,” said the impartial one. “Accordingly, we made the most of this moment.”
Without star striker Serhou Guirassy, who is at the Africa Cup, the Swabians lost 3-1 at Borussia Mönchengladbach, just like in the first game of the year. As in the previous week, the team again lacked penetration. Thanks to Matus Bero’s goal (50th minute), Stuttgart is only one point ahead of their pursuer Borussia Dortmund.
Interruption was also a topic of conversation after the final whistle
The long break was also a big topic of conversation after the final whistle. Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeneß, who also spoke to the fans, explained on ARD that he could not yet fully assess the situation. But he could “say that no one looks good when a situation like this arises. None of us – we, the other side – simply didn’t give a good picture.” VfL coach Thomas Letsch rated the situation as “unnecessary”: “I wouldn’t even want to imagine a game being canceled because of such an unnecessary situation.”
The Bochum team confirmed their reputation as a strong team at home and took another step towards staying in the league. For the sixth time in a row there was no defeat in front of our own fans.
Undav misses two chances to take the lead
Without Guirassy, Silas, Woo-yeong Jeong and Hiroki Ito, VfB got off to a better start. Deniz Undav (5th, 10th) had two chances to take the lead in the first few minutes. On his first attempt, the attacker failed because of VfL goalkeeper Manuel Riemann, on his second attempt he headed the ball next to the goal after a cross from Josha Vagnoman.
In contrast, the Bochum team took longer to get up to speed. As is so often the case, they fought their way into the game and made things difficult for their stronger opponents with passionate duels. That’s why it became increasingly a disjointed game with combinations that weren’t well thought out or worth seeing.
VfL saves narrow lead over time
For a long time, neither VfL nor VfB managed to get close to the goal in any promising way. With a high rate of missed passes on both sides, the action mostly took place in midfield. After the unusually long break, it was the Bochum team who got up to speed quicker. The first chance to score gave us the lead. After winning a running duel against Dan-Axel Zagadou, Bero put the ball into the net from eight meters.
This goal enlivened the game immensely. The now more active guests were close to a quick equalizer with two opportunities through Jamie Leweling (58th) and Angelo Stiller (61st). The pressure on the Bochum goal increased from minute to minute. Nevertheless, VfL remained dangerous on the counterattack. But Bero narrowly missed the goal in the 81st minute. In the hectic final phase, the Revierclub saved the narrow lead with luck and skill over time.
