Emotions broke out as soon as the first goal was scored.

In the end it was a collective ecstasy on the first-class playground on Castroper Straße.

Finally the first win, finally the initial spark: "We believe in staying in the league." Thomas Letsch was full of praise for his team.

The new coach of VfL Bochum had imagined his home debut exactly as it ultimately happened in the 3-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Ralph Weitbrecht

sports editor.

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Letsch knew that the Europa League winner would have a clear advantage over his team.

That's why the 54-year-old football teacher placed a large part of his hopes on support from the stands when the bottom of the table played against the supposed favorites from Frankfurt.

"The message to the team today was that we take the spectators with us, that everyone can see that we believe we can stay in the league.

And we did that today.

It was a great game from us and a deserved win.”

"Intensity and Mentality"

Deep in the West, where not only Herbert Grönemeyer's "Bochum" has a cult following, but also VfL, the club of fighters and workers, they have had great hope since the 3-0 at the latest.

In the previous season, Bochum had shown that they can definitely keep up with the established players.

As promoted team at the time, VfL scored an amazing 42 points – just as many as Eintracht, who came to the Ruhr Stadium at exactly the right time for VfL with their worst performance of the season.

"In this situation it was important for us to bring intensity and mentality onto the pitch right from the start," Letsch said of Bochum, who were under a lot of pressure beforehand.

As the bottom of the table, who had only managed to draw with otherwise loud defeats, a win against Eintracht was almost a must.

"We played with passion again today and put the opponent under pressure.

They didn't find a solution," said Bochum captain Anthony Losilla.

Weeks of sadness, without victories and with the change from promotion coach Thomas Reis to Thomas Letsch: "It was a difficult situation." It was also mastered with the excellent use of standard situations.

corner, gate.

free kick, goal.

Phlipp Hofmann with his head (71st minute of the game).

Philipp Förster first with his left foot and friendly help from Eintracht defender Evan Ndicka (87') and then unchallenged with his right (90' + 1'): There were three bang effects that Bochum had hoped for so badly.

An amazing development, by the way, because VfL is the team with the most goals conceded in the league (23), having conceded a large number of their goals at rest (10).

Dangerous corner kicks and Eintracht free kicks?

none.

Frankfurt were the right opponent at the right time.

And it was Eintracht coach Oliver Glasner who immediately took all the blame for the 0:3.

“It was my line-up, my system change.

A lot of things didn't work out the way we had imagined.

That's why it's a very bitter but deserved defeat."

After the Bochum liberation, double goal scorer Förster said “that the last few weeks have not been easy for any of us.

We want VfL to stay in the league.” For Förster, the 3-0 win against the weak Eintracht was “the sign that we're still here”.

VfL now has four points, the gap to the competition has shrunk.

"We're glad we did our job," said header scorer Hofmann.

"It's a bit easier to look at the table now." When the victory was perfect, it rang out from the stands of the stadium on Castroper Strasse on this happy day in Bochum: "VfL is back."