Bochum and Heidenheim failed to ease their relegation fears after the struggling teams drew 0-0 in a tense Bundesliga encounter on Friday.

A defeat would have condemned bottom club Bochum to the second tier, but a draw means they live to fight another day, moving level on points with 17th-placed Holstein Kiel. 

The result was equally frustrating for Heidenheim, who remain third from bottom in the relegation play-off place, four points above Bochum and Kiel but four behind Hoffenheim, who have a game in hand.

In a first half lacking chances, befitting of both teams' position in the league, Bochum were better in the final third, with Giorgos Masouras and Myron Boadu testing Kevin Muller. 

Heidenheim then lost goalkeeper Muller to injury in the 50th minute, when he was taken off on a stretcher after a goalmouth clash with visiting midfielder Ibrahima Sissoko.

Marvin Pieringer registered Heidenheim's first shot on target in the 75th minute, though Frank Schmidt's team never looked like troubling the scoreboard in the contest. 

Both teams will be nervously watching Holstein Kiel's clash with Ausgburg on Saturday, while St. Pauli and Hoffenheim could cement survival with wins over Stuttgart and Borussia Monchengladbach.

Data Debrief: Nerves take over

The pressure this relegation six-pointer showed at the Voith-Arena, with both teams fearful of making mistakes to avoid a result that could define their campaign. 

Bochum were ahead in many of the match metrics, though, ending the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 1.28 to their opponents' 0.56. 

But it was another game without a goal for Heidenheim, which has been the story of their season. They have failed to score in 14 of their 32 games. Only St. Pauli (15) have failed to score more often in the Bundesliga this term.

Bochum, meanwhile, have now failed to win in their last seven games in the Bundesliga. Their last longer winless streak was from May 2024 to December 2024, a run of 16 games.