Blunder against Zeidler's Bochum BVB coach Sahin stands in front of Kobel: "If anyone has credit with us, it's Greg"

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28.9.2024 - 09:00

Gregor Kobel and BVB suffered against Bochum.
Gregor Kobel and BVB suffered against Bochum.
Picture: Imago

It was supposed to be redemption for the defeat in Stuttgart. But BVB were 2-0 down early on against Peter Zeidler's Bochum before new signing Serhou Guirassy came to the rescue - also for goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

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No time? blue News summarizes for you

  • After trailing 2-0, Dortmund managed to turn things around against VfL Bochum and showed the hoped-for reaction to the 5-1 defeat against Stuttgart last weekend with a home win.
  • Gregor Kobel does not look good for once when BVB concede their second goal and is self-critical after the game. Coach Sahin defends his goalkeeper.
  • Bochum coach and former St.Gallen player Peter Zeidler, on the other hand, regrets that his team were unable to build on their strong first-half performance after the break.

Dortmund's celebrations were not really passionate. More exhausted than euphoric, the BVB professionals congratulated themselves after the final whistle on their 4:2 (1:2) victory in the small Revier derby against VfL Bochum. Only with great difficulty did they avert another embarrassing defeat - five days after the much-discussed performance in Stuttgart (1:5), coach Nuri Sahin's team showed morale.

After conceding two early goals from Matus Bero (16 minutes) and Dani de Wit (21 minutes), BVB were threatened with another serious setback in front of 81,365 spectators. But thanks to goals from Serhou Guirassy (44th/75th), Emre Can (61st/foul penalty) and Felix Nmecha (81st), they managed to climb to second place in the Bundesliga table, at least for one day.

"Nobody here in the stadium knew exactly what was going to happen at the start. We suddenly found ourselves 2-0 down," said Emre Can after the final whistle. "Here in our stadium with the fans, anything is always possible, and we showed that again today. But it can't just start after going 2-0 down." The team "showed character".

Zeidler: "Everyone saw our performance"

In contrast, the wait for the first win of the season continues for their neighbors. Last season, VfL only managed their first win on matchday 10. "The goal before half-time killed us off a bit," said midfielder Anthony Losilla.

Coach and former St.Gallen player Peter Zeidler notes: "Of course we couldn't defend everything. But in the 33rd minute, Myron Boadu had a great chance to make it 3-0, just a few centimeters short. After that, the pressure increased and we couldn't prevent the cross to make it 2:1." The game then turned after the break. "We wanted to carry on playing like that, keep on winning possession - we didn't quite manage that," said Zeidler, noting: "But everyone saw our performance, which is important for us."

Peter Zeidler and VfL Bochum sniffed an away win at BVB.
Peter Zeidler and VfL Bochum sniffed an away win at BVB.
Picture: Keystone

BVB's weak start

BVB's desire to make amends was evident at the start of the game, but led to a visible tenseness. The early deficit had a huge impact on the hosts, and the next setback followed just five minutes after going 1-0 down. This was triggered by a risky back pass from Nico Schlotterbeck, which caused problems for BVB goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. The beneficiary was midfielder de Wit, who easily slotted the ball into the empty net.

"It's the fate of a goalkeeper: if you make a mistake, it always looks bad," said Kobel afterwards, explaining: "The problem was that I wanted to help Nico so that we could shift the ball. In a moment like that, as a goalkeeper I have to play it safe and shoot the ball wherever I can." Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin described Kobel's action before the 0:2 as an "unforced error", but he immediately emphasized: "Greg has saved us many games. If anyone has credit with us, it's Gregor."

Nevertheless, the Swiss goalkeeper was relieved after the turnaround: "I'm super grateful that the team stepped on the gas after going 2-0 down, scored the equalizer in the first half and then came out of the locker room very well. That's a great thing for me and the whole team, and I'm proud of that. We showed a strong reaction and rewarded ourselves with three points."

New signing Guirassy initiates the turnaround

Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin described Kobel's action before the 0:2 as an "unforced error", but immediately added: "Greg has saved us many games. If anyone has credit with us, it's Gregor."

BVB regained hope shortly before the break thanks to new signing Serhou Guirassy's equalizer. Guirassy headed Brandt's cross from the right into the net. After the restart, the pressure grew steadily on Bochum, who were now only concerned with protecting their goal. A foul by former Dortmund player Felix Passlack on Guirassy in the penalty area gave Borussia the equalizer. Can converted the resulting penalty with his usual confidence.

In a dramatic final phase, BVB crowned their comeback. After a pass from Adeyemi, Guirassy scored from close range to take the lead. A long-range shot from substitute Nmecha, which slipped through the hands of VfL keeper Drewes, put the final nail in the coffin for VfL Bochum, who had put up a brave fight for a long time.

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