Donyell Malen scores in 1-1 draw at VfL Bochum

Boris Rupert reporting from Bochum

A full house and a great atmosphere! VfL took a 13th-minute lead through Kevin Stöger in front of 26,000 spectators at the Vonovia-Ruhrstadion and carried that advantage into the second period. Donyell Malen fired the ball into the net from range in the 56th minute, but BVB never really played their game and had to settle for a deserved draw.

The scenario:  
BVB had not lost in Bochum since the 2006/07 season, while the last of only six away wins against VfL had come in 2010. The previous two league meetings had ended in a 1-1 stalemate. BVB had only managed to come out on top in Bochum in the DFB-Pokal in February 2023. VfL had kicked off their season with a 5-0 loss in Stuttgart, while BVB had been fortunate to beat Köln 1-0.

Personnel matters:  
The entire squad was available with the exception of Julien Duranville, Thomas Meunier, Giovanni Reyna and Julian Ryerson. Mateu Morey was back in the first-team matchday squad for the first time since 1 May 2021 (847 days ago), when he sustained a serious knee injury in the cup semi-final against Kiel. There were three changes compared to the starting line-up for the opening game against Köln, with Marius Wolf, Nico Schlotterbeck and Felix Nmecha (pictured) replacing Ryerson, Marco Reus and Niklas Süle (both bench).

Tactics:
3-4-3 against 4-3-3. Borussia had returned to their standard formation of the 2023 calendar year. Can played as the sole holding midfielder behind Sabitzer and Nmecha, who occupied the more offensive wider positions. Brandt again featured on the left flank but was given plenty of freedom and frequently cut into the middle. Bensebaini filled the vacated space on the left wing by pushing high up the pitch. Bochum made an aggresive start, pressed high in Dortmund's half and looked to draw mistakes. Upon winning the ball back, they immediately played it up top. Defender Masovic offered himself as an additional passing option in midfield during build-up play.

The match & analysis:
BVB had problems stopping VfL's wild play and gaining control of the game. It was frequently end to end – and that initially offered opportunities for Borussia too. Brandt did not connect with Bensebaini's cross properly and fired narrowly wide with his left foot from close range (3). Brandt crossed from the right four minutes later and Haller won the aerial battle in the middle, only for Riemann to make the save. At the other end, Kobel made an equally spectacular stop to keep out Hofmann's header from five metres (9).

The 13th minute of the match saw goalkeeper Riemann play a long ball down the left flank to Wittek, who immediately laid the ball off to Stöger in the box. The Bochum player's first-time left-footed finish from a tight angle flew into the bottom right corner.

It remained an intense match in the period that followed. Bochum were literally on Borussia's toes, their tough challenges pushing the limits of the law. With space at a premium, a Dortmund pass rarely picked out a team-mates. The game was characterised by many one-on-one situations. Masovic stuck to Brandt like glue and Malen had problems with Wittek's very aggressive approach but got a shot away in the 29th minute that went narrowly wide. At the other end, Hofmann's header from a corner landed on the crossbar (33). It was only in the closing stages of the first half that BVB were able to build pressure. But VfL showed great presence at the back too and completely deserved to lead at the break given the shot count of 9-6.

BVB replaced Hummels with Süle at the break and immediately looked dangerous. Brandt broke through down the right side but his sharp cross could not pick out a team-mate in the middle. Bensebaini then tried his luck from the left, with his shot cleared for a corner. The equaliser then came 10 minutes later. Brandt showed great technique to square the ball to Malen, who shot almost from a standing position and found the bottom left corner to make it 1-1. The Dutchman's shot three minutes later was deflected and went narrowly wide of the target, while Nmecha's attempt missed by centimetres too (61).

Adeyemi came on a short while later to replace Sabitzer for BVB, who also switched up their system and now played in a 4-2-3-1 with Can and Nmecha as a double pivot and Malen, Brandt and Adeyemi in the attacking three. Borussia pressed but were then hit on the counter. Adeyemi won the sprint against Antwi-Adjei but then tried to dribble his way out of trouble and lost the ball to Stöger, who shot from 18 metres out. The effort took a deflection and was kept out with a crazy save from Kobel, who was again on hand to thwart the danger following the subsequent corner (68). Nmecha was forced off with an injury problem with around 10 minutes to go and replaced by Özcan; fresh legs came on in attacking too, with Moukoko and Bynoe-Gittens replacing Haller and Malen. Bochum continued to press early and Osterhage hit the post (86). BVB registered two more shots at the other end in stoppage time: Bynoe-Gittens' strike was kept out by Riemann in the 95th minute and then Brandt pulled the trigger from the left of the penalty area but missed the target.

Outlook:
Borussia Dortmund will kick off Matchday 3 of the Bundesliga season next Friday (1 September) when they take on promoted outfit 1. FC Heidenheim at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK.

Teams & goals

Bundesliga Matchday 2
VFL BOCHUM 1-1 (1-0) BORUSSIA DORTMUND

VfL Bochum: Riemann – Masovic, Ordets, Bernardo – Passlack (Gamboa, 81), Losilla, Stöger (Osterhage, 81), Wittek (Soares, 48) – Bero, Asano (Antwi-Adjei, 60) – Hofmann (Broschinski, 60)
Bor. Dortmund: Kobel – Wolf, Hummels (Süle, 46), N. Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini – Can – Sabitzer (Adeyemi, 62), Nmecha (Özcan, 81) – Malen (Bynoe-Gittens, 81), Haller (Haller, 81), Brandt
Substitutes: Thiede, Daschner, K. Schlotterbeck, Loosli – Meyer, Morey, Hazard, Reus
Goals: 1-0 Stöger (Wittek, 13), 1-1 Malen (Brandt, 56)
Corners: 6-5 (2-2 at half-time), chance ratio: 7-7 (4-4)
Referee: Schröder (Hanover), yellow cards: Stöger, Bero – Can
Attendance: 26,000 (sold-out), weather: mix of sunshine and clouds, 21 degrees