2. Bundesliga: Bochum cruise past Braunschweig to ease relegation concerns

2. Bundesliga: Bochum cruise past Braunschweig to ease relegation concerns

It marked the ideal response from Uwe Rösler’s side following last week’s setback against Magdeburg, as goals from Gerrit Holtmann, Koji Miyoshi, Farid Alfa-Ruprecht and Philipp Hofmann secured a convincing victory in a crucial clash near the foot of the 2. Bundesliga table.

With both sides desperate for points, Bochum made the brighter start and were rewarded after just 13 minutes. Hofmann found space on the edge of the area and, with Braunschweig’s defence slow to close him down, slipped the ball left to Holtmann, who drilled a low finish past Ron-Thorben Hoffmann to open the scoring.

Braunschweig struggled to gain any real momentum in the first half, aside from a brief penalty appeal that was waved away following a VAR check. Bochum continued to press and thought they had doubled their lead, only for Hofmann’s effort to be ruled out due to a foul by Mats Pannewig in the build-up.

The visitors’ best chance arrived in the 38th minute. After Philipp Strompf won a free-kick in a promising position, Jovan Mijatović stepped up and curled a superb effort towards goal, only to see it come back off the post with Timo Horn beaten.

Bochum made sure of their advantage just before the break. Hofmann once again played a key role with excellent hold-up play inside the area before teeing up Miyoshi, who curled a first-time effort into the top corner to give the hosts a deserved 2-0 lead at half-time.

The home side remained in control after the restart and, despite passing up a few chances to extend their lead, eventually put the game beyond doubt in the 68th minute. Substitute Callum Marshall did well to win possession high up the pitch, and the ball fell kindly to fellow substitute Alfa-Ruprecht, who kept his composure to slot home low into the corner and make it 3-0.

Braunschweig managed a late consolation through Lino Tempelmann with six minutes remaining, but any hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished. Deep into stoppage time, Leon Bell Bell brought down Marshall in the box, allowing Hofmann to step up and confidently convert from the penalty spot, sealing a comprehensive 4-1 victory.

Bochum’s emphatic win provides a timely boost in their fight to steer clear of relegation trouble, while Braunschweig are left with plenty to ponder after another difficult afternoon.