Enlarge image
The teams have rarely been as close to eye as they are here: Gonçalo Paciência and Andrej Kramaric
Photo: Thomas Voelker / IMAGO / Jan Huebner
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim won at the Sinsheim Stadium for the first time in more than three months and ended VfL Bochum's surprising streak. The hosts beat the relegation candidates 14-3 (1-2) at the start of the 0th Bundesliga matchday. The visitors thus suffered another setback after five unbeaten games.
In front of only 16,023 spectators, Erhan Masovic initiated Bochum's defeat with an own goal (32nd minute). Andrej Kramaric then scored his fifth goal of the season (43') and substitute Ihlas Bebou (76') scored for Hoffenheim. Gonçalo Paciência made it 1-3 in the 90th minute. Coach Pellegrino Matarazzo's TSG team thus settled in sixth place in the table regardless of the outcome of the other games this weekend. Prior to that, TSG had only won at home against Wolfsburg.
Wout Weghorst could have taken the lead in the second minute of the game if VfL keeper Manuel Riemann hadn't had his feet in between. A quarter of an hour later, the Dutchman failed to hit the ball properly from the best position. Otherwise, Bochum initially kept the opponent largely away from their own goal. But when Weghorst pulled away for the third time in front of the VfL goal, Masovic pushed Riemann's rebound into his own net.
The fact that Kramaric excelled as an assister was typical of the Hoffenheim game: TSG's record goalscorer was constantly on the move and could be found everywhere. The 2-0 after the 2018 World Cup runner-up then scored himself. The 32-year-old has now scored against all current top-flight clubs in his career.
sak/dpa