16.01.2010

Restart goes wrong

A vast improvement in the second half was not enough to prevent Borussia slipping to a 2-1 home defeat against Bochum on Saturday afternoon. Fabian Bäcker got the goal for Michael Frontzeck's men.

The first opportunity of the game came on five minutes, and it fell to a player whose selection came as something of a surprise. But Moses Lamidi, who partnered Raul Bobadilla in attack, was way off target from just outside the box after collecting a Juan Arango pass. The game was a scrappy affair in the opening stages with Borussia enjoying more of the possession, but no real chances.

Bochum formed a solid defensive unit, as is their wont away from home, and waited for an opportunity to break. And their tactics paid off on their very first attack. Christoph Dabrowski fed Stanislav Sestak, and the Bochum striker gave Borussia keeper Logan Bailly no chance with a crisp finish. After going behind Borussia struggled against the well organised visitors, especially down the middle. Their build-up play was marred by several misunderstandings, and going forward they lacked that little bit of luck. As on the half hour, when Michael Bradley attempted to thread the ball down the channel after collecting an Arango pass, only for a Bochum defender to read the situation and intervene.

Bochum were much more purposeful in this respect, and on 36 they struck with clinical efficiency once again, Zlatko Dedic stabbing the ball over the line from close range following a corner. Borussia had only two genuine chances, both of them five minutes before the break, but neither Arango's free-kick, which Heerwagen turned round the post for a corner, nor Dante's subsequent header found their way into the net.

More chances after the interval

Borussia knew they had to improve on their first-half showing and created just as many chances in the first five minutes after the restart than they had in the opening 45. First, Lamidi arrived a moment too late to get a touch on a cross. Then Bobadilla fired a free-kick just wide and Bradley had a shot saved. Borussia were wide awake now and pushed forward in search of a goal, but an Arango effort from a good 30 metres on 55 and a volley by the Venezuelan two minutes later failed to produce it.

Borussia had what was probably their best chance of clawing their way back into the game in the 74th minute, but Heerwagen somehow managed to keep out Bradley's close-range header. Frontzeck then introduced two players who were making their Bundesliga bow in Fabian Bäcker and Patrick Herrmann. And he was rewarded almost immediately when Herrmann, on for Borussia skipper Filip Daems, made a goal for Bäcker just seconds after coming on and while still holding the captain's armband in his hand. Buoyed by the goal Borussia threw everyone forward and had chances through Bradley and Reus – but Heerwagen was alert on both occasions.

After his long injury layoff it would have been gratifying if Daems could have celebrated a happier return to the team. But ultimately Borussia were undone, not undeservedly in light of their poor first-half display, by a canny Bochum side who kept things tight at the back and converted the few chances they created.

Borussia: Bailly- Levels, Brouwers, Dante, Daems (Herrmann 79') – Marx (Kleine 90'), Bradley – Reus, Arango – Bobadilla, Lamidi (Bäcker 63')

Bochum: Heerwagen - Concha, Maltritz, Mavraj, Fuchs - Dabrowski, Maric - Dedic (Freier 46'), Prokoph - Epallé (Johansson 73'), Sestak (Hashemian 90')

Goals: 0-1 Sestak (12'), 0-2 Dedic (36'), 1-2 Bäcker (80')

Yellow cards: Dante – Dedic, Prokoph, Sestak

Referee: Babak Rafati

Attendance: 36,245