VfL Bochum lost the test match against Parma Calcio in the training camp. The offensively weak Revierklub conceded a late goal.

At the end of the training camp in South Tyrol, VfL Bochum suffered another test match defeat. The Bundesliga club lost 0:1 (0:0) to Italian second division side Parma Calcio after conceding a late goal. For VfL, it was the fourth defeat in the fifth match of the summer preparation.

As with the 3:4 defeat in the XXL test against Spezia Calcio on Wednesday, the match was played at the stadium in Bressanone.

This time, coach Thomas Letsch’s team played in front of an atmospheric crowd. Fans from Bologna and Munich paid a visit to the friendly Bochum.

On the pitch, however, there was little to see in the first half. A double chance by Philipp Hofmann and Lukas Daschner was the only noteworthy offensive action by VfL. Since the Italians also offered little, it went into the break without goals. Nevertheless, for the first time this summer, the Revierklub remained without conceding a goal in the first half.

Letsch made five changes at the restart, including bringing on Simon Zoller in place of Lukas Daschner. And it took only a few moments before the striker scored for the lead – supposedly, because the referee had recognized an offside position (46th).

Otherwise, both teams continued to save on highlights around the penalty areas, which may also have been due to the numerous changes. VfL was lucky a good quarter of an hour before the final whistle. Parma’s Cristian Ansaldi fired a penalty over the goal (74th). The U19 defender Niko Bozickovic, who had been substituted shortly before, had fouled.

Thus, many things pointed to a goalless draw. But five minutes before the end, a goal was scored. Tjas Begic scored from the edge of the penalty area to give Parma the lead (85th) – the Bochum defense had not defended consistently enough. The score remained 0:1 and VfL conceded its fourth defeat in the fourth test match in a row.

After a week in South Tyrol, the VfL squad will return home on Sunday. As part of the official opening of the season next Saturday, the test match double-header against the English first division promoted Luton Town is on the agenda. After that, things get serious: first, the Bochum team plays Arminia Bielefeld in the first round of the cup (August 12), followed by the Bundesliga opener at VfB Stuttgart (August 19).