The most extraordinary match ever played in the Bundesliga's annals.
"Ever since, I've had to retell that debacle at least two hundred times. Once was more than enough," reminisces German football icon Hermann Gerland in his book "Eternal on the Field", referring to "the game that never ends". VfL Bochum suffered a 5:6 loss at home to football powerhouse FC Bayern Munich on September 18, 1976. Already an astonishing result - but it becomes even more surreal when considering the events that unfolded that day. Because the seemingly invincible Bochum were leading 4:0 after 53 minutes. To date, it's one-of-a-kind in the Bundesliga that a team could turn such a deficit into a victory.
And even though VfL eventually lost this encounter, their devoted supporters, with their knack for ironic suffering, coined this match as their "century game". After all, this memorable occasion marked the inception of a club that consistently manages to squander seemingly insurmountable leads.
Gerland witnessed multiple Bayern coaches take charge
"I don't know if we can hold out after all," VfL coach Heinz Höher is said to have grumbled at halftime with a 3:0 advantage, heading towards the dressing room. Over the years, this subconscious fear of squandering a seemingly secure lead has been etched into the club's DNA. So, there's no Bochumer fan in a stadium today who doesn't glance anxiously at the clock in the 89th minute with a 5:0 advantage and murmur "it ain't over yet!"
Every time a new Bayern coach took the helm - be it Louis van Gaal, Pep Guardiola, or Carlo Ancelotti - Hermann Gerland had to relive that day again: "Hermann, what was it like back then when you were leading 4:0 and still lost? How was it possible?" Gerland was tired of retelling the story ("Enough already!"), but he did so repeatedly.
Bayern coach Dettmar Cramer called the match "the game of open goals". And that's exactly what it was. Initially, the Bochum were on fire, playing like possessed and should have scored numerous goals in the first half. However, they were only able to lead 3:0 at half-time. Bayern's striker Gerd Müller was unimpressed. Less than a week prior, he had almost single-handedly propelled Tennis Borussia Berlin to a 9:0 victory with his five goals. Now, he was in the dressing room, disillusioned, with only mockery and gallows humor left for him and his team: "Let them score the fourth, then we'll start!"
And indeed, in the 53rd minute, exactly that happened. The VfL scored the 4:0 goal, but their optimism was short-lived. In the heat of the moment and believing in a sure victory, every VfL player wanted to score a goal. The Bayern subsequently pulled level at 4:4, twenty minutes after the fourth Bochum goal.
Bayern's Genius Counterattack
"The football spectacle in Bochum in the Bundesliga is unparalleled," the newspapers declared the following day, with VfL coach Heinz Höher acknowledging later: "I will never experience anything like this again." And although Bochum managed to equalize once more at 5:5, Uli Hoeneß scored the decisive goal that day, mere moments before the final whistle. "4:0 - then 5:6! No one can claim that football," a newspaper headline proclaimed, and for Hermann Gerland, it was a nightmare: "A disaster. I didn't want to live anymore. It couldn't be true. And the mighty Bayern celebrated like children, having defeated the humble VfL Bochum. There was deafening silence in our locker room afterwards."
The press celebrated the game lustfully and in giant headlines: "The wildest game of the year. Bayern pulled off a magnificent counterattack." Everyone who was present at the stadium that day instantaneously knew they had witnessed something extraordinary. Even Bochum's double scorer Jupp Kaczor had only one thought in those silent moments and minutes afterwards: "I daren't go home. My father will give me an earful." VfL record player Ata Lameck once said: "We still hadn't realized what had happened, even hours later."
And as for Hermann Gerland, this game served as a significant shift, much like it did for his team: "This was a contest you never forget as a player. And later, in my role as a coach, a persistent voice in my head would chant: 'It could still take a turn for the worse.'" Additionally, there's an individual who has held onto memories of this wild day for years, even though they emerged victorious, according to Gerland: "Even Gerd Müller, my co-trainer at Bayern's amateurs for over a decade, would caution: 'Tread lightly, tread lightly!' every time we secured the first goal of the match."
The "century game" in Bochum remains a standout event in the annals of German football, earning a special place in history for its sheer memorability. It's no surprise that Hermann Gerland continues to retell the tale of this extraordinary day.
Despite Bayern's frequent changes in coaches, Hermann Gerland found himself recounting the crushing loss to FC Bayern Munich in 1976, where VfL Bochum led 4:0 but eventually lost 5:6. ("Hermann Gerland, even as a coach at Bayern, was often reminded of this game.")
Gerd Müller, the prolific striker who once scored five goals in a match, couldn't help but mock VfL Bochum after their lead evaporated. ("Even Gerd Müller, a former teammate of Gerland, would caution caution whenever their team took a lead.")
