Matches of the month: Two derbies – top of the table twice
1996 and 2001: The derby games against the neighbours from Cologne from those years evoke positive feelings amongst Bayer 04 fans.
sold-out UHS and triple whammy
Bayer 04 and FC Köln meet in the derby in front of a full house at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium on 30 November 1996. The 0-0 scoreline at half-time is flattering to FC Köln with the hosts having a chances ratio of 6 to 1. But the pressure from the Werkself is immense after the restart.
Within 20 minutes they tear apart the Köln defence and go 3-0 up with goals from Markus Happe, Ulf Kirsten and Paulo Sergio (Goal of the Month with a volley). The match ends in a deserved 4-2 victory and Bayer 04 go top the table for the first time in the season on matchday 16 after a 1-1 draw between Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart.
catch up in cologne and game turned round
Five years later: same opponent, different venue and completely different situation. Bayer 04 are second in the Bundesliga with 30 points just one behind Bayern Munich. The neighbours from Cologne are 16th on eight points and have great worries. 41,000 spectators come to the stadium in Müngersdorf including at least 5,000 from Leverkusen.
FC Köln put a brave fight and take a 1-0 lead with a man down on 57 minutes. But Bayer 04 soon hit back – the equaliser is scored by Ulf Kirsten six minutes later. Oliver Neuville nets the winner for the visitors at 2-1 on 72 minutes. The Werkself go top because league leaders Bayern Munich lose 1-0 at Werder Bremen.
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