VfL Bochum’s crisis continues to worsen. They also failed to secure their first three points against TSG Hoffenheim, losing 1:3.

Thanks to a saved penalty by national goalkeeper Oliver Baumann and led by the strong Andrej Kramaric, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim managed to break free in the Bundesliga and further worsened VfL Bochum’s crisis.

The Kraichgau team won the bottom-of-the-table clash with the bottom team 3:1 (1:0) and celebrated their first league victory since the first matchday in front of 19,281 spectators. VfL suffered its seventh defeat in the eighth competitive match of the season. The pressure on coach Peter Zeidler, who only joined from FC St. Gallen in the summer, continues to grow.

Kramaric scored in the 11th minute, Marius Bülter increased the lead after the break (64th). Bochum managed to pull one back through Christian Gamboa (76th). In the 89th minute, TSG keeper Baumann parried a penalty from Lukas Daschner, then Haris Tabakovic (90th+3) made the decision.

Hoffenheim’s new sports director Andreas Schicker had already backed coach Pellegrino Matarazzo immediately after taking office. But the points should still do the Italian-American good.

Kramaric was by far the most noticeable player on the pitch, especially in the first half, and was involved in almost every offensive action by Hoffenheim. However, the 33-year-old Croatian was a little careless with his chances against guests who had been completely harmless for a long time.

Bochum’s Dani de Wit unfortunately deflected the ball into Kramaric’s path before Hoffenheim’s 1-0 lead – he hit the bottom left corner with a powerful shot. The scene was in keeping with the poor performance of the local club in the first half.

TSG clearly dominated. Kramaric put the ball just wide of the goal (16th) and once hit the crossbar (24th). Then the national player was stopped from a free position by the well-reacting VfL keeper Patrick Drewes (39th).

Bochum, who have only scored points under coach Zeidler in a 2-2 draw against newly promoted Holstein Kiel, initially had little offensive potential. Three minutes before the break, Koji Miyoshi almost made it 1-1 out of nowhere.

The game was more balanced in the second half. Bochum’s substitute Daschner narrowly missed the ball in a promising position (47th), while on the other side a goal by Bülter was disallowed for offside (51st). A little later, however, Bülter was able to celebrate. The young Tom Bischof sent the attacker with a beautiful through ball over the right side and he hammered the ball into the near corner.

Zeidler, once assistant coach under Ralf Rangnick in Hoffenheim, loudly urged his team on from the sidelines. Gamboa reduced the deficit with a well-placed low shot, and TSG were trembling again. After a foul by Kevin Akpoguma on Ibrahima Sissoko, Daschner had a great chance to equalize, but his weak penalty was saved by Baumann. Then Tabakovic made everything clear on the other side.