The match at the 'Auf der Emma' sports ground in Neitersen not only provided sporting highlights but also something much more important: A considerable financial donation that will benefit people affected by the flood disaster in the Rhineland Palatinate thanks to the 'Fußball hilft' foundation of the Rhineland Football Association.
Before kick-off in front of around 500 spectators, those present paid respect with a minute’s silence to the victims of the floods as well as the explosion at a hazardous waste incineration plant in Leverkusen on Tuesday morning.
The Bayer 04 side on this special day included former players Jens Nowotny, Falko Götz and Hanno Balitsch. Watching on from the sidelines were former Leverkusen players including Rüdiger Vollborn, Ulf Kirsten and Matthias Brücken.
Nenad Lazarevic put the Veterans team in front but the Sportfreunde level before half-time. In the second half, goals from Hanno Balitsch and Assimiou Toure secured the final score of 3-1. "The lads did well and produced a performance just like our hosts," declared Dick Dreher, general manager of the Bayer 04 Veterans team. "It was much more important for us on this evening that a decent donation was raised."
Bayer 04 group in Neitersen:
Players: Daniel Galic (goalkeeper), Nenad Lazarevic, Assimiou Toure, Carsten Baumann, Jens Nowotny, Ferhat Kiskanc, Michael Wagner, Falko Götz, Zülfi Simsek, Thorsten Judt, Danny Thönes, Christoph Chylla, Hanno Balitsch, Roman Klossek, Konrad Czarnetzki
Officials: Dirk Dreher (general manager), Gerhard Kentschke, Jürgen Gelsdorf (coaches), Christian Hausmann (assistant coach), Heinz Pier, Wilfried Krudewig, Olli Collette, Helmut Becker (all support staff)
Guests: Ulf Kirsten, Thorsten Wörsdörfer, Matthias Brücken, Wilfried Gässler, Peter Surbach, Rüdiger Vollborn, Walter Posner, Manfred Vetter, Jörg Volkmar
The Werkself conceded a goal at home for the first time since the beginning of January 67 minutes into the game against FSV Mainz 05 on Saturday. Jarell Quansah levelled late on for the final score of 1-1 to secure a point and avoid a first home defeat in six games. Bayer 04 were very critical of their performance after the game. The Werkself review.
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Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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From special edition jerseys to fan banners, the home game against Mainz 05 was all about the many Bayer 04 fan clubs. Accordingly, a fitting tribute to the long-standing Werkself supporters was not to be missed during half-time in the Bundesliga match. Fernando Carro, CEO, honoured the up to 50-year anniversaries of six fan clubs in front of the coaches' benches at the BayArena.
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 1-1 draw against Mainz 05 on Matchday 24 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season...
A late goal secured a point for Bayer 04 at home to FSV Mainz 05 in a match that saw the Black and Reds dominant in the second half. Despite lots of possession, the Werkself initially found few gaps and fell behind after 67 minutes when Sheraldo Becker scored in a Mainz counter-attack. In the closing stages, Leverkusen threw everything forward once again and equalised through Jarell Quansah (88').
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