Relieved, Sebastian Hoeneß gave his players a high five and hugged them. There was applause and the winner’s fist for the fans in the away corner: Four days after reaching the cup semi-finals, Hoeneß led VfB Stuttgart to an important victory in the relegation battle at VfL Bochum in his Bundesliga debut as coach.
The Swabians deservedly won 3-2 (1-0) and left bottom of the table with their first away win of the season, while the Revier-Klub was drawn deeper into the tight race to stay in the Bundesliga.
Hoeneß could not have had a better start. “It was an important victory in many ways. We showed an incredible fighting spirit, which will be indispensable for the next few weeks. We’ll take that feeling with us and that’s worth a lot,” said the 40-year-old. While Hoeneß and his team were celebrating with the fans, there were still ugly scenes in the stands after the end of the game: The completely agitated VfL keeper Manuel Riemann had fought a heated battle of words with a fan who had apparently insulted him before he was pulled away.
Bochum only three points ahead of Stuttgart
Hiroki Ito (14th minute), Serhou Guirassy (60th) and new international Josha Vagnoman (63rd) marked the goals for the guests. The goals by Kevin Stöger (58th) and Philipp Hofmann (85th) in front of 26,000 spectators were not enough for Bochum. VfL is only three points ahead of Stuttgart.
VfL coach Thomas Letsch was disappointed, but sees no reason to worry about the defeat. “We always said it would go to the end. We could have taken a step today, but nothing has happened yet,” said Letsch, who above all criticized the defense: “It was far too easy for the opponent to go to the Goals comes. When you get three goals at home against a direct opponent, it becomes difficult to score.”
Top scorer Guirassy back in VfB starting XI
Stuttgart started for the first time since the beginning of February with their long-injured top scorer Guirassy. However, a defender provided the early lead – with the involuntary help of a player from Bochum. VfL defender Danilo Soares involuntarily passed the ball after a Borna Sosa cross and Ito, who had moved up, let the VfB fans who had traveled with him cheer with a powerful shot into the corner.
The 1-0 gave the Stuttgarters security. The guests let the ball run well through their own ranks at times and were secure on the defensive. It took almost half an hour before Bochum became halfway dangerous for the first time. A header from Takuma Asano was too unplaced and did not pose any problems for goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow.
There was little to see of the home strength of Bochum, who had previously won six of eight Bundesliga games under Letsch. The VfL professionals ran and fought as usual. Creativity and assertiveness were lacking in the decisive areas on the offensive.
Stuttgart countered Stöger’s compensation
Stuttgart also had the first chance in the second round. Vagnoman started to solo, dribbled the ball until just in front of the goal, but then failed because of VfL keeper Riemann. Then it got turbulent: Stuttgart’s cup match winner Enzo Millot grabbed substitute Bochum’s Philipp Förster in the shoulder too hard from the point of view of referee Frank Willenborg in the penalty area. Stöger confidently converted the subsequent penalty.
But Bochum’s joy about it was short-lived. With two goals within a very short time, VfB hit back. First Guirassy scored after a strong cross from the outside of Sosa’s instep. Shortly thereafter, Vagnoman headed it, capitalizing on a mistake by Riemann. VfL didn’t give up, tried everything again in the game and reduced the lead to 2:3. Ultimately, however, Stuttgart brought the victory over time.