Pure drama! VfL Bochum succeeds wonder against Fortuna Düsseldorf

 *Düsseldorf. VfL Bochum celebrates staying in the Bundesliga in dramatic fashion! After a penalty shootout, VfL remains in the top tier.**

The miracle is complete—VfL Bochum retains its Bundesliga status! Despite a 0-3 deficit from the first leg against Fortuna Düsseldorf, the team turned things around dramatically, clawing their way back to win the return match on penalties, with Fortuna's Takashi Uchino missing the final spot-kick. The players celebrated ecstatically in front of their fans, celebrating a seemingly impossible survival.

**++++++++++ VfL Bochum celebrates: The best pictures from the class maintenance celebrations +++++++++++++++++++++**



**The Fortuna fans joineOn Sunday, Butscher seemed almost disbelieving of the outcome. The team, however, believed. Perhaps the players had responded to the coach's challenge to their character. Fortuna, whose fans were primed for promotion with a march along the Rhine and an impressive choreography, surprisingly underperformed, despite having the first chance of the game. Just over 50 seconds in, Ao Tanaka tried his luck from distance, but his shot went wide.d their team with a large choreography. (dpa | Marius Becker)**

Bochum's defensive setup initially seemed flawed, with coach Heiko Butscher opting for a three-man defense, a strategy that caused issues earlier in the season under Thomas Letsch. However, on Monday it worked. Additionally, Lukas Daschner provided an offensive spark often missing this season. Bochum was truly ready to give it their all that evening.

**Hofmann scores to give Bochum the lead**

Early on, Bochum's attacking limitations were evident. They mainly relied on long balls, which Fortuna handled well. Eleven minutes in, VfL combined with some luck through Daschner and Philipp Hofmann into the penalty area, but Matus Bero was fairly stopped by Tim Oberdorf. Bochum had more possession but did little with it as Fortuna closed down spaces effectively.

**Philipp Hofmann scored to give VfL Bochum the lead. (dpa | Roland Weihrauch)**

In the 18th minute, a free-kick by Kevin Stöger saw his cross find Hofmann, who headed it past Florian Kastenmeier to open the scoring. This early goal was seen as Bochum's only chance to stage a miracle. How would Fortuna react? They showed no signs of nervousness. Yet, Bochum had another big chance in the 22nd minute when Bero's cross found Hofmann, but he couldn't capitalize.

**Bochum pressed for a second goal against Fortuna**

After an initial flurry, Fortuna tightened their defense again. But Bochum kept pushing, with Wittek testing Kastenmeier from distance in the 32nd minute. Just before halftime, Schlotterbeck headed a free kick just wide (41st), and a deflected shot from Daschner hit the side netting. Bochum remained alive.

**Fortuna's Vincent Vermeij (left) in a duel with Bochum's Tim Oermann. (AFP | Uwe Kraft)**

And how! Captain Anthony Losilla's shot in the 50th minute was blocked, but the ball fell to Daschner, whose shot was cleared off the line by Oberdorf. Düsseldorf, meanwhile, offered little offensively, with Christos Tzolis ineffective. Then, in the 66th minute, Stöger found Hofmann with a precise cross, and Hofmann headed in to make it 2-0.

**Pure Madness - Stöger shines for VfL Bochum**

Fortuna was reeling, and things got worse. Two minutes after the second goal, Stöger attempted a chip shot, which was blocked by Matthias Zimmermann's arm in the penalty area. Referee Deniz Aytekin awarded a penalty. Stöger coolly converted, leveling the aggregate score. The team and fans went wild. Bochum almost scored a fourth, but Kastenmeier saved a header from Takuma Asano in the 72nd minute. Asano missed another chance in the 89th minute, while Ivan Ordets prevented a late Fortuna goal, sending the game into extra time.

In extra time, neither team could score despite Fortuna's efforts. Bochum's Asano and Noah Loosli cleared shots off the line. The penalty shootout brought more drama. Andreas Luthe saved from Andre Hoffmann, and Kastenmeier saved from Erhan Masovic. It took seven rounds of penalties to decide the winner, with Takashi Uchino's miss sealing Bochum's survival.