Things are just not going well for VfL Bochum. Although VfL equalized shortly before the end, they suffered a 1-2 defeat at 1. FC Nürnberg and set a negative record.

As if the 1-2 defeat at 1. FC Nürnberg wasn’t enough, VfL Bochum has now also set a negative record. The Bundesliga relegation team is in 17th place after six games, having lost five games and won only one.

Bochum are thus the first Bundesliga relegated team ever to lose five of their first six games in the second division. And they had started off with a bang.

Sports director Dirk Dufner, who had been under heavy pressure since the 0-1 defeat at SC Paderborn, and coach Dieter Hecking had to leave the club after four defeats in the first five games.

U19 coach David Siebers has taken over on an interim basis. The VfL Bochum coach congratulated his colleague Miroslav Klose on his first win of the season with 1. FC Nürnberg. What else could he do? “Overall, a deserved victory for you,” said Siebers, but added: “Even though we would have liked to take the dirty point we earned shortly before the end with us.”

Adriano Grimaldi was able to counter Ibrahim Sissoko’s equalizer from a penalty kick (86th minute) in stoppage time (90+2). Julian Justvan had previously put Nuremberg in the lead (68th minute). In the end, the 1-2 (0-0) defeat was Bochum’s fifth loss in six games in the 2nd Bundesliga this season.

In addition to Bochum’s willingness to fight, the truth was that Sissoko’s penalty was almost the only clear offensive action by VfL. “We’ll analyze it at the beginning of the week, take a close look at it, and continue to work on it. We’ve been together for four or five days now; I would have liked and expected things to be working better today, but that’s not the case yet,” said Siebers. “Nevertheless, we’ll keep going and continue on our path in training, improving bit by bit.”

The next opportunity to do so will be this coming Saturday, when VfL Bochum will once again play under the floodlights. Fortuna Düsseldorf will then visit Castroper Straße (September 27, 8:30 p.m.). with gp