Frankfurt prevail in Bochum thanks to record-breaker teenager

Jean-Mattéo Bahoya scored his first Bundesliga goal and set a new speed record in Frankfurt’s hard-fought win in Bochum.

Despite three successive league defeats, Eintracht Frankfurt came to this one full of confidence after a comprehensive Europa League success over Eredivisie table-toppers Ajax. Similarly, Bochum stunned Bayern at the Allianz Arena last week with a stunning comeback win.

Accordingly, both coaches only made one change from their previous starting XIs. Dino Toppmöller replaced speedster Ansgar Knauff with central midfielder Oscar Højlund, while Ivan Ordets took the place of suspended Bernardo at the heart of Bochum’s back three.

Bochum were unbeaten at home against Frankfurt since their return to Bundesliga in 2021, but the reverse fixture ended 7-2 in favor of the Eagles. However, this one had to settle for a late kickoff time because of banners blocking exit routes in the away end.

A similar incident against Stuttgart delayed kickoff time for 40 minutes at the same stadium last season. Referee Felix Zwayer had to wait a bit longer before giving it the all-clear for the start of the match. The waiting game had a clear effect on the slow start of the game, although the hosts fared better with their best chance falling to Matúš Bero.

Kauã Santos was once again in action when Robin Koch inadvertently tested him. The Hessians responded well, but Hugo Ekitike failed to hit the target when he faced Timo Horn one-on-one. During this time, the 19-year-old Jean-Mattéo Bahoya sets a Bundesliga record for a top acceleration (37.16 km/h), beating Heidenheim’s Sirlord Conteh (36.82 km/h) in the process.

However, Bochum regained the momentum back with Kauã Santos denying Bero once again before Giorgos Masouras found the net from a clear offside position. There was no doubt of such a call when Rasmus Kristensen did the same on the other end, though.

A swift move from Frankfurt’s left side shifted by Ellyes Skhiri to set up the Danish right-back. Horn saved Kristensen’s initial attempt, but the former Leeds United defender scored his second Bundesliga goal with his second shot. The goal served as a turning point for the guests as they controlled proceedings for the rest of the half.

Five minutes later, SGE doubled their lead with another silky move finished by Bahoya from close range. In addition to breaking a record, the Frenchman celebrated his first Bundesliga goal in his fourth start. Meanwhile, Bochum faced another setback when their winter signing Tom Krauß off injured five minutes before half-time.

His replacement Dani de Wit immediately sets up Passlack for a shot, but Kauã Santos’ save wasn’t necessary because of an offside call. The Brazilian goalkeeper also denied Philipp Hofmann, even though it wouldn’t have been counted for a similar reason.

Dieter Hecking continued with the same XI at the start of the second-half, but Knauff replaced Larsson for Frankfurt. Bochum tried to start the half strongly, but they couldn’t fashion a telling goal-scoring chance inside the first 15 minutes.

When it finally arrived, Kauã Santos, who is proving to be a great replacement for the injured Kevin Trapp, denied Masouras’ powerful shot. The Greece international was immediately subbed off as Bochum’s top-scorer Mayron Boadu made his return from an injury that kept him out for a month.

The 21-year-old shot-stopper pulled an even better save when Hofmann tried to head home from six meters. Meanwhile, as expected, Frankfurt players started to show tiredness since the same XI was involved in a European fixture on Thursday.

However, they came very close to sealing the result when Kristensen and Knauff were presented with perfect opportunities in the space of a minute. Instead, Bochum pulled one back with Hofmann finally beating Kauã Santos from Gerrit Holtmann’s inviting cross.

With the game entering the last ten minutes, Bochum looked to repeat their Allianz Arena miracle. Despite an electric atmosphere in the stadium, the best chance falls for Knauff when Horn denies him a one-on-one chance, though. The former Köln goalkeeper also had to stay alert to save Chaïbi’s deflected free-kick.

Bochum nearly snatched a draw with a goalmouth scramble deep in injury-time, but substitutes Boadu and Moritz Broschinski couldn’t provide the finishing touch. Frankfurt’s substitute striker Michy Batshuayi was efficient, however. From Knauff’s assist, the Belgian scored for a second week running with the last action of the game.

The result means Frankfurt ended their four-game winless streak to sit level on points with third-placed Mainz. Meanwhile, Bochum are now five points adrift of safety, while they could be dragged into an automatic relegation place if there is a winner in the ongoing game between cellar-dwellers Holstein Kiel and Heidenheim.