With the 3:2 in Bochum, the first away win after 485 days, VfB Stuttgart draws new courage. An important factor is also new national player Josha Vagnoman
The unusual gesture was noticed immediately. After his debut goal in the 63rd minute in Bochum, the left hand went to his ear during the jubilant sprint and formed an imaginary telephone receiver with his fingers. As if Josha Vagnoman wanted to phone home: “Hello Stuttgart, this is the scorer Josha. VfB can still win away from home!” It was the first threesome abroad since December 2021, after 485 days of waiting.
Josha Vagnoman’s first Bundesliga goal
In any case, the right-back reported himself and his team impressively back in the relegation battle. VfB is back, slipped after the 3:2 in the basement duel at VfL Bochum from the bottom of the table up to the relegation rank. And Josha Vagnoman, who was out for many weeks and not a factor in the Stuttgart game, is finally (again) in the middle of the action. “We were well prepared for the game and our plan worked well against intensive players from Bochum,” said Vagnoman after the final whistle in the SWR interview.
Also thanks to Josha Vagnoman’s goal to make it 3-1 in the meantime. A header after a left flank by Enzo Millot, which was undercut in the classic way by VfL keeper Manuel Riemann. The VfB defender had risen high in the air like a centre-forward and nodded the ball without any problems. Remarkable: It was the former Hamburg player’s first Bundesliga goal for VfB Stuttgart, his debut goal in the Bundesliga.
International debut under Hansi Flick against Belgium
The rather unexpected nomination by national coach Hansi Flick a few weeks ago in the senior national team and the international debut against Belgium obviously gave the new Stuttgarter a real boost of motivation. The former VfB reservist in the midst of the well-known Bayern and Dortmund stars in the Germany jersey. A fantastic feeling for the newcomer from Stuttgart, who just moved from HSV to Neckar last summer and had a rather difficult start in the first few months at VfB, also due to injury.
After all, Vagnoman also benefited sportingly and tactically from the renewed change of coach last week in Stuttgart, from Bruno Labbadia to Sebastian Hoeneß. Josha Vagnoman was allowed to build steam on the right flank in front of the back three favored by Hoeneß in both the DFB Cup last Wednesday in Nuremberg and in the Bundesliga in Bochum and act accordingly offensively.
Strong Vagnoman appearance in Bochum
Especially on Sunday in Bochum, the 22-year-old thanked him with a strong performance, which also underpins the statistical figures: Vagnoman reeled off 11.7 kilometers as the strongest runner from Stuttgart, made 32 sprints, had four shots on goal and hit the net once.
Again and again the tall and powerful U21 European Champion tried to set accents with his fast advances down the right flank and tear gaps in Bochum’s defense. “We wanted to let the opponent come, play deep balls and move up. We managed that well and presented Bochum with problems,” Vagnoman described Sebastian Hoeneß’s tactical guidelines, which are extremely suitable for his own style of play.
Even before his header he could have scored his first goal for VfB. In the 51st minute, after a wonderful solo dance through half the VfL defense, he was only saved by keeper Riemann. The bulging footballing armamentarium of the native of Hamburg with African roots was not only shown in this action, which is well worth seeing. Hansi Flick is not completely wrong when he has the young Vagnoman on the slip for solving his problem position as a right-back.
Looking forward to the cup semi-final against Frankfurt
Josha Vagnoman can already see the handwriting of the new VfB coach after just two games: “We’ve done some good things defensively and offensively, we’re compact in defense, and things can go on like this.” Gladly also in the DFB Cup semi-final, which was drawn on Sunday evening in the ARD sports show a VfB home game against Eintracht Frankfurt in early May. Vagnoman is looking forward to it: “We have a small home advantage, that pushes us ahead of our own fans”.
Dortmund comes to Stuttgart on Saturday
On Saturday, however, the Swabians are first challenged in the Bundesliga at home against second-placed Borussia Dortmund – the next stop in the fight to stay up in the league with first-time goal scorer Josha Vagnoman and a lot of new courage and passion.
