VfL cultivated the goal sensation: a madman smashed the league

Sunday, November 28th, 2021

VfL cultivates the sensation
A madman smashes the league

By Tobias Nordmann

A new insight is ripening in the Bundesliga: Miloš Pantović from Bochum is better not allowed to be shot. It doesn’t matter where the promoted midfielder is. For the stunned Freiburg coach Christian Streich, this knowledge comes too late.

To claim that Christian Streich was just angry or even disappointed on this late Saturday afternoon, that would have been described far beyond the truth. Because Christian Streich was stunned. At least. The coach couldn’t understand that his SC Freiburg lost 1: 2 (0: 0) at VfL Bochum. It’s not that the 56-year-old lacks experience in dealing with defeats (even bizarre ones), but he still didn’t want to accept that his team, who were third in the table, had lost for the third time in a row. “It’s one of the most unfair results I’ve seen as a coach.” Since Streich is known to be an honest guy, one can assume that there is something to this judgment.

In fact, the 113th bankruptcy in the 300th first division game can be dealt with quite easily. The sports club made a really, really good game. And the sports club had many good to very good opportunities. But apart from a rather unconventional header and shoulder goal from central defender Philipp Lienhart (51.) after a free kick by Vincenzo Grifo, no second chance was used. That, in turn, was damned often due to Manuel Riemann. This is the goalkeeper of VfL Bochum. Until his promotion this summer, the 33-year-old was desperate again and again about his big dream, the Bundesliga. But now that it has worked, the extroverted keeper wants to catch up on everything – and stay as long as possible. And that the newcomer is doing well with 16 points after 13 match days, that is especially due to Riemann. According to grades, he is one of the five best keepers of the season.

His most spectacular moment on this Saturday afternoon was after 62 minutes, when he sensationally parried a shot from striker Lukas Höler with his right hand. In terms of spectacle and sensation, the keeper in his team has been surpassed by a man for weeks. By Miloš Pantović. The 25-year-old Serb cultivates the sensational madness “Anne Castroper”. Two weeks ago, the attacking midfielder sank all Hoffenheim ambitions on countable from over 60 meters. And now he tore off Streich’s anniversary with a soulful and ingenious lifter from well over 40 meters. After an obvious misunderstanding (between SC goalkeeper Mark Flekken and Lienhart) and a slip (by Lienhart), the ball landed on substitute Pantović and his little magic foot in the gate in front of the escalating east curve (82nd). The culmination of the passionate, albeit happy, VfL comeback that striker Sebastian Polter had previously initiated shortly after falling behind (54th).

“Immediately felt that he was going in”

A madness that the madman dealt with in a very factual way: “As soon as the ball was off my foot, I immediately felt that it was going in.” After all, Pantović admitted: “I’m incredibly happy that I was able to score such a goal again.” And then again very matter-of-factly: “I always do my best and I’m happy when I can help the team.” Even after his goal against TSG, the Serb confidently confessed that he had faith in his left foot. The same now obviously applies to the right one. Because this time he was responsible for the fact that the Ruhrstadion first fell into collective amazement, then into collective euphoria.

The furious development of the 25-year-old with the newcomer to the difference player is an unexpectable history. For a long time it was not a foregone conclusion that the man who once moved to the Ruhr area thanks to the legendary Hermann Gerland from FC Bayern (2nd team) would rise with the Bochumers. Because he has not been an established starting eleven – and is not (yet) this season either. In the 2nd division he was one of the men behind the phenomenal Robert Zulj last season. The Austrian was Bochum’s offensive key player. He scored 15 goals. He prepared 15 goals. And then completely surprisingly moved on: to the United Arab Emirates. It wasn’t a particularly wise decision for his career. And in terms of sport, he does not make any exclamation marks at the Al Ittihad Kalba Sports Club.

Nobody bet on him

So Zulj was gone. For just 350,000 euros (that’s how low the exit clause was). A double shock for VfL. How should the club compensate for that? Hire a new man? Small spoiler (I): Yes. Change the system? Small spoiler (II): Yes. Create solutions from your own inventory? A lot was conceivable. Almost everything. Just not that Pantović could or would fill this important role. In fact, he doesn’t either. The Serb is a wild card. A high quality. When he is needed by the newcomer, he delivers. This was also the case in the second round of the DFB Cup. In the drama success against Augsburg, he had put VfL in the lead with two goals before the guests saved themselves from the penalty shoot-out. It was there that Riemann became a hero (as you can read here).

Pantović, about whom Gerland of all people admitted after the 2018 move that he had already sent better players from Munich to Bochum, has persisted at VfL. Against all the criticism that has been met with him again and again: he is not efficient enough (he gathered arguments for this thesis in minute 87, when he missed the final decision in a one-on-one with Flekken), not robust enough in a duel , not fast enough for the outside positions (this is particularly important in the system of coach Thomas Reis, unlike the half-spaces in which the 25-year-old feels more comfortable) and often too phlegmatic. For a ten, who he actually is, he often lacks the genius. To this day, the Serb has not been able to sustainably rebut all of this criticism. In fact, however, he is a player that the coach can always fully rely on. Always hardworking. Always professional. Even without this an outstanding quality. That’s what they thought. But now he’s smashing the league. And big anniversaries. With goals that are a sensation.