Martin Petersen was still fumbling with his headset when Kevin Stöger was already creating facts. The VfL Bochum midfielder kicked the ball back from the kick-off point to his goalkeeper Manuel Riemann. Only seconds later, referee Petersen gave his approval. He drew a rectangle in the air. Instead of 1-0 for Hertha BSC it was 0-0 again; instead of a kick-off for VfL, there was a corner for Hertha.
It was a millimeter decision that cost the guests from Berlin the lead in the sold-out Ruhrstadion on Saturday afternoon. Before Hertha’s supposed 1-0 through Lucas Tousart, the ball had already narrowly crossed the goal line.
The situation was similar to a few weeks ago at the World Cup in Qatar in the group match between Spain and Japan. With the difference that the goal of the Japanese had counted. In Bochum, however, the video assistant conceded the goal again.
So the new football year got off to a bad start for Hertha BSC: in this scene as well as in general. In the end it was 1: 3 (0: 2) for the Berlin Bundesliga team in the competitive game opener.
Not only did VfL Bochum overtake Hertha as a result, but also VfB Stuttgart, so that coach Sandro Schwarz’s team fell back to a direct relegation zone. “Now we’re here with a bad feeling and zero points,” said goalkeeper Oliver Christensen.
The Berliners not only attributed this to the video assistant, but also to themselves. Not for the first time this season. Up until Captain Tousart supposedly made it 1-0, the guests had the events largely under control; Hertha could also muster more quality than the staid Bochum.
On the other hand, VfL convinced with “the unconditional will that characterizes our team”, as coach Thomas Letsch said – and with an unprecedented effectiveness. “We also need exactly that effectiveness,” said Maximilian Mittelstädt, who, as expected, defended for the actual captain Marvin Plattenhardt on the left back.
If we continue like we did today, we won’t have to talk about points in the next few games.
Mark Richter, Hertha BSC
But Hertha once again lost the reward for their efforts because the team again made too many small dropouts, which ultimately had a big and painful effect for the Berliners. “We concede goals that are far too easy,” said Marco Richter, who was one of the better players at Hertha.
There are touches of naivety and carelessness that make Hertha create again and again. Before the 0:1, Bochum, who otherwise only knock the ball high and far forward, were able to combine from quite far back to the front almost unmolested. In the end it was center forward Philipp Hofmann who headed in to take the lead for VfL because he was no longer significantly disturbed.
The hosts made it 2-0 just before the break, again with the friendly support of the Berliners. After the first corner for VfL, Keven Schlotterbeck, who moved from SC Freiburg to the Ruhr area in winter, headed in completely unprotected at the second post. His opponent Mittelstädt had just stood still.
Too little intensity and aggressiveness
The third, decisive goal for VfL almost fifteen minutes after the break also resulted from a corner – for Hertha. After an attempt by debutant Derry Scherhant was blocked, things quickly went the other way. In the end it was Hofmann again, whose deflected shot went over Christensen into the goal. “We started well in the second half and then they score a shitty goal,” said Hertha’s Danish goalkeeper.
Trainer Sandro Schwarz complained about “too little intensity, too little aggressiveness”. Immediately after the 0:3 he brought in three new forces for the offensive and switched to a 4-4-2 with Wilfried Kanga and Jessic Ngankam up front. But more than the 1: 3 by substitute Suat Serdar three minutes before the end did not jump out.
The momentum and optimism of the preparations vanished very quickly at Hertha. “We’ve already proven that we can play football,” said Marco Richter. “Today was shit.” If Hertha performs like they did in Bochum, then there’s no need to talk about points in the next few games. Mittelstädt still thinks it’s “good that we can continue directly on Tuesday”.
Then Hertha welcomes VfL Wolfsburg in the Olympic Stadium, who have now won five games in a row and defeated SC Freiburg 6-0 on Saturday.
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