Bochum match abandoned after beer thrown at assistant

Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Bundesliga meeting with VfL Bochum on Friday night was abandoned with the Foals leading 2-0.

In the 70th minute of the game, assistant referee Christian Gittelmann was struck on the back of the head by a cup of beer thrown from the stands. Referee Benjamin Cortus quickly stopped the game and the officials and teams went inside, before the match was abandoned around 15 minutes later.

Up until that moment, it had been a hard-fought encounter in front of 25,000 spectators at the Vovonia Ruhrstadion, with the first half shaped more by challenges than chances. The game came to life after the change of ends, with Yann Sommer making a fantastic save to deny Sebastian Polter shortly before Borussia took the lead. Luca Netz’s corner was volleyed in by Alassane Plea to make it 1-0 (55’), with a second goal following soon after as Breel Embolo buried a pinpoint shot from the edge of the box (61’).