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BOCHUM: Borussia Dortmund handed the advantage in the Bundesliga title race back to Bayern Munich on Friday after they stumbled to a 1-1 draw at struggling VfL Bochum in the mini Ruhr derby.
Bochum, who sit one spot and just two points above the relegation zone, scored after just five minutes, Anthony Losilla unleashing a screamer from outside the box.
Dortmund, chasing their first Bundesliga title in 11 years, hit back immediately, Germany forward Karim Adeyemi tapping in after a length-of-the-field team move to make it 1-1 but they looked far from serious contenders as they struggled to break down a solid Bochum defence.
With the match winding down, Adeyemi looked to have won a penalty for the visiting side when brought down in the box by Danilo Soares, but the referee waved the incident away.
Dortmund were camped in the Bochum penalty area in the final minutes and had the ball in the net through Mats Hummels, but the linesman’s flag went up immediately, with the defender standing half a metre offside.
With four games left to play, Dortmund are on 61 points, two points clear of second-placed Bayern, who will take over the lead if they beat bottom club Hertha Berlin on Sunday.
“It is very bitter for us. It was an intense game but we had our chances,” said Dortmund coach Edin Terzic.
Terzic said the referee’s failure to check the Adeyemi penalty incident was “a key scene” in the draw, revealing to broadcaster DAZN: “I begged him to look at it.”
“I am sorry for my tone and my emotions but I said it last week that for us and also for me this is maybe the only chance in our lives to get so close to the title. Then you have such decisions when so much is at stake. The only thing I asked the referees was to look at it again.”
Disappointed Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel said his side “had the title in our own hands, but couldn’t make the most of it”. “We need to look forward, keep fighting and win our next game.”
Bochum made the most of a nervy start from the visitors, Losilla latching onto a poor Dortmund clearance to rocket the ball across Kobel and into the top left of the net.
Yet Bochum’s joy only lasted two minutes as unmarked Adeyemi tapped in at the far post for the equaliser.
But the goal failed to inject any sense of urgency into Dortmund’s game, with Terzic desperately shouting on from the sidelines.
Midway through the second half, Adeyemi went down in the box under heavy attention from Soares, but the referee waved the incident away without checking the VAR monitor.
Dortmund’s best chances in the second half came after the introduction of Marco Reus in the 73rd minute, with the midfielder setting up Youssoufa Moukoko, but his effort was parried by Bochum keeper Manuel Riemann.
Riemann pulled off an even better save in the 76th to deny Jude Bellingham before Donyell Malen sent the ball just wide with a sensational back-heel.
With one minute remaining, Hummels sent the visiting fans into raptures when he headed the ball into the goal, but his effort was chalked out for offside.
With Terzic booked for dissent in stoppage time, Bellingham headed a last-gasp effort wide and Dortmund eventually ran out of time.