Bochum's 1-1 draw with Arminia Bielefeld takes them two points clear of Freiburg with the latter still having
Timo Perthel was very active for Bochum in the early stages of the match, sending in a couple of dangerous crosses into the penalty area that had to be cleared away by the Arminia defense. In the ninth minute, Michael Görlitz and Christopher Nöthe combined together in the second dangerous attack from the visiting side but it came to nothing as the shot went well wide of the target.
In the 22nd minute, 21-year-old Janik Haberer had the best chance from either side as his effort from just outside the six yard box was pushed aside by Wolfgang Hesl.
Bochum take an early lead
Onor Bulut's shot hit the arm of Brian Behrendt and although he was standing close to the young Bochum forward and could not really get out of the way of the shot, the referee still awarded the penalty. Sebastian Terodde stepped up to the spot and placed his shot into the back of the net from 12 yards away.
After the goal, Bochum decided to play very defensively, with eight and sometimes nine men in and around the penalty area, making it extremely difficult for the home side to get any chances away.
HT: Arminia Bielefeld 0-1 VfL Bochum
Perhaps, this was a little harsh on the hosts as they dominated possession in the opening 45 minutes of tonight's match and got away a couple of half-chances. It was a penalty that gave Bochum the lead right before the half hour mark.
Hesl made a spectacular catch in the 62nd minute after Bulut, from an acute angle, as the young Turkish forward tried to find Haberer.
Seven minutes later Christopher Hemlein had his first attempt on goal for the hosts but his shot was from a tight angle and was caught easily by the Bochum shot stopper. Hemlein had a man with him inside the area and could have laid the ball off to him in what could have been a better opportunity for his side.
76 minutes into the match, Marco Terrazzino nearly doubled his side's advantage but the Arminia goal keeper.
Klos late equalizer steals a point
Finally, after being the better team for most of the match, Bielefeld got the goal they deserved with eight minutes remaining in the match through Fabian Klos. A cross from Nöthe evades a Bochum defender and finds the right foot of Klos who redirected the ball into the back of the net.
A win for Bochum would have increased their lead at the top of the table by at least two points by the end of match day eight, unfortunately, the late goal means that if Freiburg get a win their next time out, Gert Verbeek's men will slip to second.