Before the games against Elversberg and Schalke, VfL Bochum also gained many positive insights from the spectacular 3-3 draw against Darmstadt.

Those who decided to attend the second division match between VfL Bochum and SV Darmstadt were not disappointed. After an entertaining 90 minutes, the two teams parted ways with a spectacular 3-3 draw.

Six goals were scored, partly because the game was marked by a number of mistakes. Right in the thick of the action: Bochum striker Philipp Hofmann and Darmstadt attacking midfielder Marco Richter. Richter initially caught the visitors’ eye when he set up Fraser Hornby’s early goal to make it 1-0. But after Francis Onyeka quickly equalized to make it 1-1, he made a costly mistake: A failed back pass landed at Hofmann’s feet, who took advantage of the opportunity and skillfully lifted the ball over Darmstadt goalkeeper Marcel Schuhen to make it 2-1 for VfL. After the game, Richter was self-critical: “I didn’t see him, I’m really sorry about that. I take full responsibility for that. It hurts me for the team. That shouldn’t happen to me, I have to solve it differently.“

Hofmann, on the other hand, was delighted that his instinct for goal hadn’t let him down in this scene. ”As a striker, you wait for moments like that. It’s just great that it worked out exactly like that,” the attacker summed up.

It wasn’t enough for three points, as the 2-1 lead turned into a 2-3 deficit, and in the end Bochum and Darmstadt shared the points. After the game, Hofmann, who had received an injection after the match due to shoulder joint problems, still drew a positive conclusion: “It was a strange game, and there was a lot on offer. For me, there are a lot of positives to take away. Darmstadt are rightly at the top, but we concede goals too easily. What we did with the ball was our best game so far under Uwe Rösler. We were very active, but we allowed too much.“

Soccer is ”a sport of mistakes,“ said Hofmann. That made the team’s reaction to the early 0-1 deficit all the more important: ”It was just great. “ He added: ”After the break, we were clearly the better team. We had a lot of chances, and I’m proud of what we achieved as a team on the pitch.”

VfL Bochum will now take these insights into their upcoming games – but they won’t be any easier, as SV Elversberg and second division leaders Schalke 04 await next.