Out of luck with no room for discretion
84 minutes with a man down, but still giving as good as they got: SV Elversberg lose 2:0 to VfL Bochum. First a corner and then a counter-attack decided the outcome of a match that took an unusual turn just a few minutes in.
SV Elversberg‘s new second-division season began promisingly with an opening win against 1. FC Nürnberg. However, Vincent Wagner’s team faced a setback in Bochum – in incredibly unlucky form: after just six minutes, SVE were left with only ten men on the pitch. What followed was an exhausting battle of attrition, where Saarland kept pace for a long time before two late goals by the home team tipped the scales.
24,207 spectators were watching in the Vonovia-Ruhrstadion, including 900 Elversberg fans who made the journey. Wagner used the same starting eleven as in the previous week. The match began in intense form, with both teams immediately seeking to push forwards. In the second minute, Jan Gyamerah made a strong move on the right wing that involved an unrelenting tackle of VfL’s captain Matus Bero. Referee Lukas Benen immediately held up a yellow card.
Just four minutes later, what initially seemed to be a normal (if brisk) start to an aggressive match became a crucial moment. A high ball from Bero collided with Gyamerah’s arm. Benen ruled it an intentional handball and awarded another yellow card – thus sending him off the pitch with a red card. Elversberg protested fiercely, but the decision stood. DFB referee observer Alexander Feuerherdt defended it as consistent with the rules in a Sky interview as the match went on.
Vincent Wagner was visibly irritated after the final whistle: ‘The referee tells me that he has no room for discretion in this. If that is the rule, then it is terrible. If there is no room for discretion, then what is the referee there for?’ He noted that rarely in his career had he seen a red card so early in the game, let alone a team going on to score points afterwards. ‘Except perhaps the great FC Bayern Munich’, he added wryly.
Wagner immediately made some tactical changes: Lukas Petkov moved from the attacking ranks to the right back, but otherwise the lineup remained unchanged. Early pressing efforts were halted, and instead SVE rooted themselves deep in their own half. Surprisingly, the loss of a man was not initially hugely noticeable. Elversberg put up a focused defence and continually needled their opponent with rapid counter-attacks.
The away team’s first real scare came in the 17th minute. After an unsuccessful high back pass by Maximilian Rohr, goalkeeper Nicolas Kristof shot out of his box with an stylish save to prevent things from turning to the worse. Bochum had significantly more ball possession, but only really managed to pose a threat in set pieces.
The home team’s strong headers continually forced Elversberg to be on high alert. Almost every corner saw high balls sailing into the penalty area – with a goal just a few centimetres away several times. Things became especially hairy shortly before half-time: after their fifth dangerous corner, Petkov cleared the ball away from the line against Mathis Clairicia. On the other hand, Bochum also had to work hard. VfL chalked up five yellow cards by half-time: Ibrahima Sissoko, Kevin Vogt, Mats Pannewig, Leandro Morgalla and Kacper Koscierski.
The first half ended without any goals – a small, temporary success for the underpowered away team.
The boys gave their all, threw themselves at everything, and played bold football in the first half in particular
Wagner later said in praise.
The second half began as the first had ended: with an opportunity for Bochum. Just seconds after the whistle sounded, Koji Miyoshi missed the goal from three metres out – a scene that left many fans in the stadium in disbelief. Not long after, a close-range shot by Moritz Broschinski was stopped by the strong reactions of Kristof.
The 52nd minute brought the next setback for Elversberg: striker Luca Schnellbacher grabbed his thigh and had to leave the pitch with an injury. Wagner brought on central defender Florian Le Joncour to further stabilise their defence.
And suddenly, SVE had a huge opportunity to take the lead: Tom Zimmerschied ran undefended towards the VfL goal, but his shot was messy – and was safely saved by Timo Horn. Just a few minutes later, Rohr saved the day once again by clearing a corner away from the line.
However, the away team were put under increasing pressure. Dieter Hecking made some tactical changes at half-time to take better advantage of his team’s greater numbers. ‘We did not want to charge into things, but we still had the match under control. Compliments to Elversberg for keeping the game open for so long’, the Bochum manager said.
And then, in the 66th minute, it finally happened: after their ninth corner, Sissoko tipped the ball over the line from up close. Wagner responded by going on the attack and bringing on a fresh injection of power in the form of Felix Keidel, Jarzinho Malanga and Younes Ebnoutalib. Elversberg threw everything at attacking and relied on long throws by Keidel that repeatedly sailed dangerously into the penalty area – but there was no-one there to land the ball home.
Bochum were now just waiting patiently for counter-attacks. Then, in the eighth minute of stoppage time, Gerrit Holtmann nailed the victory home, firing the ball unstoppably into the far corner from 14 metres out to put the score at 2:0.
Hecking described a ‘well-earned win’ and a ‘vital first step in the second division’. Wagner, on the other hand, had a more sober summary to offer: ‘It was a very wild match with 466 yellow cards, which was consistent with the approach taken. It is a shame that the two teams did not have an opportunity to enjoy the fantastic atmosphere in the same numbers. However, ultimately it was well deserved. Life goes on – as they say.’
Despite the defeat, Elversberg were left with the impression that they can still keep up for long periods of time, even when a man down. They are now turning their attentions to the first round of the DFB Cup. On Sunday at 6 p.m., SVE have an away game against third-division team SSV Ulm – where they will be hoping for an uneventful start to the match and a repeat of their fighting performance in Bochum, but this time with a better result.