Fortuna Düsseldorf celebrated his second victory in the Bundesliga. The 4:1 against Hertha BSC has a signal effect, according to the participants. The Düsseldorfers played as if liberated after the leading goal.

Erich Rutemöller looked different somehow. The head was up, so were the corners of his mouth. With a blissful face, the 73-year-old strolled into the mixed zone. "I can't even say how nice it feels not to have to explain a defeat here," said the sports director of Fortuna Düsseldorf. The joy-drunken Rutemöller stood on Saturday as an example for all those who can hold their own with the Bundesliga rising star. The Düsseldorf team had to wait seven games and almost two months for their second league victory. The 4:1 against Hertha BSC was the very much longed for feeling of success and the clear sign to the competition in the fight for the class preservation: Do not copy us too early!

"All respect for the performance in the second half", said Rutemöller. "We made good use of the rooms, and finally there was the end." Indeed. Takashi Usami could not have satisfied his longing for the first leading goal since 15 September (2-1 against Hoffenheim) better than with this full span shot into the angle after 51 minutes. "I'll have to take another look," said coach Friedhelm Funkel. "That was - I think - a dream goal. It went so fast, I didn't see it at all."

At that time, Fortuna had already had a role to play on the lawn, a role she rarely plays: she designed the game. The reason for this was the yellow-red card against Berlin's Maxi Mittelstädt shortly before halftime. "Of course, we benefited from the sending-off, but the team did an excellent job," said Funkel. And his opponent Pal Dardai was also impressed by how patient the Düsseldorfers remained, repeatedly shifting their sides with diagonal balls and thus getting the Hertha players off to a good start. One of these diagonal balls of Adam Bodzek was then also the initial spark before the 1:0.

The leading goal finally brought back the painfully missed self-confidence into the Düsseldorfers' actions. Rouwen Hennings' goal was preceded by a textbook attack on Jean Zimmer and Matthias Zimmermann. After the 2:0 Hertha then submitted to her fate. Benito Raman was therefore able to use the favor of the hour after his substitution and finally show in the goals to 3:0 and 4:1 the cold-bloodedness that seemed to him last lost. "For Benito I'm especially happy," said Rutemöller.

However, the coach did not regard the fact that Raman ran into the arms of Funkel after his first goal as a special gesture: "Our community needs no signs. That's just part of it, because we're a conspiratorial bunch."

Although Fortuna will be the penultimate in the international match break due to the victory of Hannover 96, the participants agreed that this 4:1 signal effect will have. "This can trigger an enormous amount," Rutemöller stressed. "It starts with the atmosphere at the office. That spills over. Such a victory simply frees. And above all: The heads don't go further down when looking at the table, but we're on again now."

The fact that the fans were already demanding an away victory in the coming game with the classic "Take the Lederhosen off the Bavarians" only made the happy sports director shine even more: "How was that again with the Rhenish mentality?