VfL Bochum’s U19 team lost the derby against Borussia Dortmund. The coach is unhappy with the first half but is optimistic about the rematch in the cup.

VfL Bochum’s U19 team suffered a 1-3 defeat in the U19 DFB Youth League derby against Borussia Dortmund on Friday. This means that their attempt to take the lead in Group H has failed, with BVB extending their lead to five points.

David Siebers was particularly dissatisfied with his team’s first-half performance. Fadi Zarqelain (22′) and Thierry Fidjeu-Tazemeta (40′) gave Dortmund a 2-0 lead at halftime.

“There were a few things that I had imagined differently. I’ve discussed exactly what those were with the team,“ he said after the game. However, he said the team’s reaction after the restart was ”good.” Bochum had the chance to make it 1-2, and Siebers also saw a foul on Gustav Schjott that went unpunished.
Instead, Ahmad Najdi made it 3-0 after an hour (63′), and Darnell Keumo’s goal to make it 3-1 (84′) came too late. “It was at least possible to get a point, you could feel that even after the 1-3. If we’d had more time and energy, we could have done more here,” said the coach. For him, the difference on Friday was mainly down to efficiency. “We often couldn’t finish our attacks. That made the difference,” he summed up.

VfL Bochum: Praise for young goalkeeper Ferrara

Meanwhile, there was praise for VfL goalkeeper and debutant Noah Ferrara. Siebert hugged the 17-year-old after the game. “He’s made huge personal progress this year,” Siebert praised, adding: “He’s a highly talented goalkeeper. It was important to me not to give him just any league game as his first. It was certainly not his fault that we lost. He made some great saves, especially in the first half, and I’m very satisfied.”

Despite the defeat, his team also earned a few words of praise at the end. Especially since the 38-year-old had to make seven changes compared to the first leg: “BVB were also missing a few players, but they are perhaps better able to compensate for that in terms of depth. The team kept pushing until the end; others might have given up after going 3-0 down, but that didn’t happen to us. I’m happy with the basic attitude and the progress we’ve made, but not with a few tactical decisions in the first half.”

That’s also why Siebert is optimistic about the rematch in the cup on November 9: “I believe we’ve had confirmation that a win was possible. That was clear despite the defeat.”