The unnecessary 1: 2 in Wolfsburg throws TSG Hoffenheim back in the relegation battle. A missed great opportunity was symptomatic of this.
This moment could have spared TSG 1899 Hoffenheim a lot of fear and trembling in the final sprint of the Bundesliga season. In the completely unnecessary 1:2 (0:1) defeat at VfL Wolfsburg, the 57th minute was running when Hoffenheim striker Munas Dabbur took the ball from Wolfsburg captain Maximilian Arnold just before the edge of the penalty area.
With the score at 0:1, the 30-year-old Israeli ran alone towards the goal in a central position and had exactly two promising options: either to use this great chance himself or to pass to Christoph Baumgartner, who was running with him. But Dabbur shot the ball over the goal. VfL keeper Koen Casteels didn’t even have to intervene.
“It’s clearly a key scene,” said a visibly distressed TSG coach, Pellegrino Matarazzo. The table-14. could have moved further away from the relegation rank and the first relegation zone after four wins in the previous seven games. Instead, the previous table penultimate VfL Bochum came within a point of Hoffenheim.
Crunchy remaining program
VfB Stuttgart can do the same on Sunday. The direct competitor in 17th place is also TSG’s last opponent on the last matchday. Before that, there is still a difficult home game against the Champions League candidate Union Berlin in the calendar. It is this remaining program in addition to the avoidable points given up in Wolfsburg that makes Hoffenheim sweat again.
“Unfortunately we didn’t make it today so it feels very bitter,” said Matarazzo. And the half-heartedness with which Dabbur missed his big chance was symptomatic of the Hoffenheim game.
“I wouldn’t say that we lacked fire. Rather sharpness and focus in the last quarter,” criticized the coach. “We had a lot of fire in the beginning. But the gear shift was missing in the penalty area.” Even with the many corners and free kicks from his team, it “could have burned differently”.
The 0:1 deficit at the time of the Dabbur chance didn’t have to be either. Hoffenheim had the first big chance of the game when Andrej Kramaric hit the crossbar (7′). When Jakub Kaminski conceded the first goal (15th), 1899 professional Ihlas Bebou was far too far away from his opponent.
“Do something with a team too”
Dabbur’s performance then determined “the momentum of the game”, as Matarazzo said: “If you score the equalizer, you’re completely different in the game. So you have to accept that you didn’t take that chance to score. That also does something for a team .” After that, not much came from her.
Former Hoffenheim player Luca Waldschmidt made it 2-0 for Wolfsburg (75′), Josuha Guilavogui’s own goal (90’+3′) came too late for TSG. Even VfL coach Niko Kovac said afterwards: “I absolutely understand if Hoffenheim are mourning today, because there was certainly more in it for them.”
The good thing from TSG’s point of view is: “It’s all up to us. It doesn’t really matter what the others do,” said Sebastian Rudy. A win against Union Berlin or VfB Stuttgart could be enough to stay up. If not, many in Hoffenheim will remember the 57th minute of the Wolfsburg game.
Source: Stern
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