How Bochum and Bayern produced a once-in-a-century match

FC Bayern visit VfL Bochum this Saturday on Bundesliga Matchday 22. fcbayern.com looks back at a legendary clash between the two teams:

There were 53 minutes on the clock and all seemed lost for FC Bayern. But this Saturday afternoon in September 1976 turned out to be a once-in-a-century match which would go down in the history books

Maier, Beckenbauer & Co versus Gerland’s VfL

Bayern visited VfL Bochum on Matchday 6 of the 1976/77 Bundesliga season. After a 9-0 thrashing of Tennis Borussia Berlin the previous week, the men from Munich, including the likes of Sepp Maier and Franz Beckenbauer, travelled to Bochum - whose side included a certain Hermann Gerland - in confident mood.

However, the match in front of a crowd of 18,000 at the famous Castroper Straße started anything but well from FCB’s point of view. The home side led 3-0 at half-time thanks to goals from Harry Elbracht (2) and Jupp Kaczor. Shortly after the restart, Hans-Joachim Pochstein made it 4-0.

But Bayern suddenly roused after that and turned the game around. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Hans-Georg ‘Katsche’ Schwarzenbeck and Gerd Müller pulled the score back to 4-3 with three goals in the space of 10 minutes, before Müller netted the equaliser from the penalty spot in the 73rd minute. They weren’t done there, though: just three minutes later, Uli Hoeneß put FCB in front.

Hoeneß replies after Bochum equaliser

There were more twists to come in this crazy match, though. Bochum weren’t going to give up that easily, and levelled at 5-5 through Kaczor with 10 minutes left. However, Bayern had the final say and it was Hoeneß who fired past VfL keeper Werner Scholz in the 89th minute to complete a 6-5 victory.

It remains the only time in Bundesliga history that a team have won from being 4-0 down. It was also a hugely impressive example of the unique winning mentality and “never-say-die” attitude that’s entrenched at FCB.

Thomas Müller impressed once again last Saturday against Leipzig: