"Bochum" returns to the Bundesliga © EuroFootball.com

Just a year after dropping out of the Bundesliga, on Monday they defeated Alemannia Aachen 2-0 and secured their return to the highest German league.

This is the fifth consecutive time that VfL Bochum returns to the Bundesliga just a year after relegation. This happened in 1994, 1996, 2000, 2002, and this year - in 2006.

Alemannia Aachen secured their return to the Bundesliga after a 36-year hiatus on Sunday, as Greuther Fuerth, currently in fourth place, lost 1-0 to Saarbruecken.

After this victory, Bochum became the leader of the second Bundesliga with 62 points. Alemannia Aachen, with one point less, is in second place, while Energie Cottbus, with 53 points, occupies the third and final place that guarantees a ticket to the Bundesliga. They have a six-point lead over Fuerth, who is in fourth place.

There are four rounds left until the end of the second Bundesliga championship.