VfL Bochum beat FC Bayern Munich 3-2 (2-1). Keven Schlotterbeck played a big part in this, but he was not completely satisfied.

It’s hard to pick out one player of the match. VfL Bochum pulled off a miracle 2.0 thanks to a passionate team performance, beating FC Bayern Munich 3-2 (2-1). But if there was a vote, Keven Schlotterbeck would certainly be among the top contenders.

Reason number one: his header to make it 2-1. “It was a very good corner from ‘Stögi’, right on the dot.” Schlotterbeck was able to rise unmarked, with only center-back colleague Ivan Ordets almost getting in his way. “I’m glad he didn’t get to the ball.”

Schlotterbeck didn’t get his foot on the ball in the second half, though. Instead, he was hit in the head by Dayot Upamecano’s elbow, earning him the penalty before the 3-1 and the sending off.

“You had a very good feeling, that’s the magic of the Ruhr Stadium,” said Schlotterbeck. ‘No matter what happens, you can always come back. You make it 1-1 and then the stands shake, where you think, what’s going on here?’

The plan was to be brave from the start. “We annoyed Bayern, a lot of one-on-one across the whole pitch, tried to win the duels. Of course, at some point Bayern came out, you had to drop and defend the box. One helped the other and that’s what sets us apart.”

Despite the win: Schlotterbeck criticizes the last few minutes

So, a completely satisfied Schlotterbeck, right? “I’m full of praise until the 3-1. Then we defended very poorly, ‘Manu’ makes an outstanding save against Sané. We weren’t brave enough anymore, which is what distinguished us before. I didn’t like that,” Schlotterbeck was surprisingly critical.

But not for his coach. “Keven is a player who inspires the boys,” said Thomas Letsch. “He coaches and is loud. When you see him during the week, you think he’s calm, but on the pitch he’s a terrier.” And that’s a good thing.

“Keven was annoyed that we were caught on the back foot towards the end and weren’t clever enough. That’s exactly what sets him apart and I don’t even want to imagine what it would have been like if we had conceded a third goal,” said Letsch. ‘But I’ll never know.’

Schlotterbeck: ”There’s still a long way to go”

In the end, though, VfL did make it through the time. “Beating Bayern is not something you do every year,” said Schlotterbeck. “And the three points are important, especially in view of who else won on this matchday.” Mainz and Union Berlin also scored three times.

“We still have a long way to go. It’s about collecting as many points as possible as quickly as possible.” The best place to start is this weekend against 15th-placed Gladbach. But it’s also good to enjoy a night out. ‘I’m going to sit down and have a beer.’