Bochum will play top-flight football again next season after coming from three goals down to defeat second-division Fortuna Duesseldorf in a penalty shootout in the second leg of the relegation play-off on Monday. fair.
Trailing 3-0 after the first leg at home, Bochum had little hope but were dragged back into the tie thanks to the excellent performance of out-of-contract midfielder Kevin Stoeger, who scored two goals before winning and converting a penalty .
Bochum won 3-0 late in the game and the match went to penalties after a goalless extra time.
Andreas Luthe saved Duesseldorf’s first penalty, but Florian Kastenmeier saved one of Bochum’s penalties to keep the hosts in the shootout.
Players from both sides converted penalty kicks until Takashi Uchino fired his side’s seventh goal over the bar, meaning Bochum remain in the top flight for the fourth consecutive season.
“We were in such a good position, we were so close, so it hurts even more,” said Dusseldorf sporting director Klaus Allofs.
“We didn’t play well, but I don’t know why – we have no idea.”
His Bochum counterpart Patrick Fabian told Sky: “Incredible, it capped everything as far as the season is concerned.
“I’m incredibly proud of the boys.”
– Confident mood –
The Bundesliga relegation play-off pits the team that finished third in the bottom division of the first division against the third-placed team in the second division, in a home-and-away match.
Undefeated in the second division since February, Duesseldorf were extremely confident of progressing after the three-goal first leg.
Before the game, fans unveiled a giant tifo that simply said: “Fortuna Wins.”
Stoeger, who spent two years at Duesseldorf, opened the scoring in the 18th minute, taking a free kick for Philipp Hofmann to head home.
The pair combined again midway through the second half to bring Bochum within striking distance of the home team, with Stoeger crossing and Hofmann again heading past Kastenmeier.
Just two minutes later, Stoeger won a penalty, connecting with a cross that hit the outstretched arm of Matthias Zimmermann.
The Austrian calmly converted from 12 yards to send Bochum 3-0 up, leveling the tie and silencing the shell-shocked home fans.
Takuma Asano had a clear chance to win the match and equalize for Bochum two minutes from time, but failed to fire in a perfect cross with the goal beckoning.
With players on both sides already cramping, the match went into extra time, but chances were few and far between in what became a battle of attrition.
In the 118th minute, Jona Niemiec conceded two consecutive goals, taking the relegation match to penalties for the second time in history and the first since 1988.
Bochum’s victory means the top-flight side have won the relegation play-offs almost three times since they were reintroduced in the 2008-09 season.
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