RB Leipzig spectacularly squandered a three-goal lead at VfL Bochum and suffered the next low blow in the battle for a Champions League place. Three days after the 2:1 defeat in Stuttgart, coach Marco Rose's team only managed a 3:3 (3:0) draw at the local club. VfL's Myron Boadu was crowned man of the day with a hat-trick.
The Saxons, who started the game with major personnel worries in attack, initially compensated strongly for their notable absentees, but then collapsed. Bochum, on the other hand, who were almost hopeless a few weeks ago, showed impressive comeback qualities. Staying in the Bundesliga is once again a realistic goal.
In front of 24,158 spectators at the Ruhrstadion, Willi Orban (10th minute), Antonio Nusa (13th) and Christoph Baumgartner (22nd) gave Leipzig a seemingly reassuring lead. However, Boadu (48th/56th/61st/foul penalty) ensured a frenetically cheered equalizer.
Leipzig immediately dangerous
In Benjamin Sesko and Loïs Openda, Leipzig were missing their two top scorers due to suspension. Nevertheless, the Saxons were dangerous early on. After just seven minutes, Baumgartner rounded Bochum goalkeeper Patrick Drewes and slid the ball into the net. The goal was disallowed for offside. Three minutes later, however, the visitors made it 1:0. The advanced central defender Willi Orban brought the ball into the middle from the left and the ball sank into the goal, unstoppable for Drewes.
And Leipzig kept going. Bochum seemed to be in shock and conceded goals two and three shortly afterwards. The ball bounced to Nusa's feet on the edge of the penalty area and the 19-year-old struck a low shot into the left corner. Baumgartner then completed an attack down the left in the center to make it 3:0. RB ruthlessly exposed Bochum's defensive weaknesses.
Bochum turned up the heat in the second half
Knowing they had a three-goal lead, Leipzig then took it a little easier. The Rose team pulled back and gave Bochum more of the ball. However, VfL were initially unable to do much with it. Apart from the odd corner, which Bochum took sharply in front of the RB goal, they posed no threat.
That changed after the break. Bochum coach Dieter Hecking brought Gerrit Holtmann into the game and the attacking player immediately piled on the pressure. Holtmann won the ball, crossed - and Boadu gave the Bochum fans hope again by scoring the equalizer. Now things got wild. First, Boadu restored parity, then he even scored the equalizer with a penalty. The Ruhrstadion went wild.
An open exchange of blows developed. Both teams played to win and had chances. However, neither VfL nor Leipzig managed to score another goal.
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