Before the match die Schwarzgelben manager Jürgen Klopp warned of VfL Bochum and he certainly had that pinned down, as Marcel Koller's strategy worked to a perfection as they played to a 1-1 draw. With Tamás Hajnal out, BVB juggled it's formation into a 4-2-3-1 using Jakub Błaszczykowski and Mohamed Zidan as support for Alexander Frei up-front with Vfl using a 4-4-2 diamond. If their is a "highlight" of the match it is probably reserved for those who prefer tactical match-ups, defensive play that slit the throat of nearly every attacking effort and where every centimeter on the pitch is fought for. Both goalkeepers were predominantly presented long range shots, from difficult angles that rarely got to them.
Three minutes before the half-hour Austrian international Christian Fuchs's corner was volleyed in from twenty-two meters by Vfl's skipper, Tomasz Zdebel. BVB found the equalizer two minutes before the half when Neven Subotić's long pass was chipped in by Mohamed Zidan. After the break die Schwarzgelben came out much more confident and were clearly the better of the clubs, with the exception of one "important" area - scoring. BVB were close to finding the winning goal a number of times but with each opportunity, below-par finishing wasted those chances and the B1 derby ended with honours.
