Tim Oermann (L) of VfL Bochum vies with Jamie Gittens of Borussia Dortmund during the German first division Bundesliga football match between VfL Bochum and Borussia Dortmund in Bochum, Germany, Feb. 15, 2025. (Photo by Joachim Bywaletz/Xinhua)
BERLIN, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- A brace from Giorgos Masouras in the first half lifted bottom club Bochum to a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund, while leaders Bayern Munich held second-placed Bayer Leverkusen to a goalless draw in the top-of-the-table clash of the 22nd round of Bundesliga on Saturday.
Both sides were desperate for points, with Bochum fighting relegation and Dortmund looking for a new spark under new coach Niko Kovac.
Bochum came out with a vigor and pressed Dortmund right from the kick-off. Matus Bero had a shot blocked after four minutes following a clever build-up by Masouras. Moments later, Masouras himself forced a save from Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel with a low shot.
Dortmund's best early chance came in the 11th minute when Serhou Guirassy's shot was palmed away by Bochum goalkeeper Timo Horn, who was making his Bundesliga debut for Bochum.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 33rd minute when Philipp Hofmann found Masouras, who calmly slotted past Kobel to give the hosts a deserved lead.
Masouras struck again just two minutes later, capitalizing on a defensive lapse by Niklas Sule to double Bochum's advantage and leave Dortmund stunned.
Dortmund pushed forward in the second half in search of an answer, but the Bochum defense held firm, with debutant Horn making several crucial saves to keep the clean sheet. Masouras almost completed his hat-trick in the 70th minute, but Kobel was on hand to deny him.
The result is a vital win for Bochum, who climb to 17th in the standings, while Dortmund remain 11th, six points adrift of the international spots.
"The first half was better, but the second was not. We didn't manage to put Bochum under enough pressure to create any clear-cut chances. Overall, it simply wasn't good enough today," said Kovac.
Elsewhere, Bayern Munich kept title rivals Bayer Leverkusen eight points adrift after a goalless draw. The German giant were on the back foot for much of the game, while the Werkself couldn't convert their dominance and chances into anything tangible. Stuttgart slipped to sixth after Wolfsburg came from behind to win thanks to Mohammed Amoura's late penalty. Freiburg won their third game in a row to move into the top five after a 1-0 win over St. Pauli, while Borussia Monchengladbach beat Union Berlin 2-1.
Earlier on Friday, RB Leipzig suffered a setback in the battle for third place as resilient Augsburg held it to a goalless draw at home. ■
Jamie Gittens (C) of Borussia Dortmund breaks through during the German first division Bundesliga football match between VfL Bochum and Borussia Dortmund in Bochum, Germany, Feb. 15, 2025. (Photo by Joachim Bywaletz/Xinhua)
Tim Oermann (R) of VfL Bochum and Jamie Gittens of Borussia Dortmund head for a ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match between VfL Bochum and Borussia Dortmund in Bochum, Germany, Feb. 15, 2025. (Photo by Joachim Bywaletz/Xinhua)
Gerrit Holtmann (R) of VfL Bochum vies with Julien Duranville of Borussia Dortmund during the German first division Bundesliga football match between VfL Bochum and Borussia Dortmund in Bochum, Germany, Feb. 15, 2025. (Photo by Joachim Bywaletz/Xinhua)
Christian Gamboa (R) of VfL Bochum vies with Julien Duranville of Borussia Dortmund during the German first division Bundesliga football match between VfL Bochum and Borussia Dortmund in Bochum, Germany, Feb. 15, 2025. (Photo by Joachim Bywaletz/Xinhua)
Erhan Masovic (R) of VfL Bochum vies with Maximilian Beier of Borussia Dortmund during the German first division Bundesliga football match between VfL Bochum and Borussia Dortmund in Bochum, Germany, Feb. 15, 2025. (Photo by Joachim Bywaletz/Xinhua)
