That was on the site of today's Neuland park. The players of the two teams changed in the dressing rooms of the recreation centre and they then walked to the football pitch. Entrance costed 50 pfennigs for adults and 30 pfennigs for schoolchildren and anybody who didn't have anything else to do could watch the third team game at two o’clock. Warming up on the pitch was unthinkable for the first team of TuS 04 and their opponents the Rasensportverein Urbach, a small village near Cologne. A week after the match, the General-Anzeiger reported on the game:
"Last Sunday the above team was on the sportsground an der Dhünn for the championship match. At the stroke of four o'clock the two teams lined up for the referee. Leverkusen with a new line-up first played against the wind. The Black and Reds were encamped on the opposition goal. The goalkeeper and the defenders had to work hard but the ball was again and again brought out of the danger zone near the goal with great skill. Urbach gradually found their feet. But the forceful attacks broke down on the good Leverkusen defence with Bartsch today performing outstandingly. There was no score at half-time.
After half-time the Black and Reds took full control but still failed to score. Then – with 26 minutes to play – Bönnen received a good pass but was fouled. The ensuing penalty is converted. Urbach now try to equalise with all their might. The outside left again and again pulls the attack forward. With ten minutes to go Koll handles the ball in a melee. Penalty.
The spectators are highly excited. The heavy rain does not drive them away from the pitch. But the penalty is hit over the bar. "A new penalty!" says the referee as somebody has entered the penalty area too early. The excitement in the crowd grows even more. The shot comes but Nagelschmidt saves to huge applause. Shortly after that the referee ends the game. It was a battle where the better team won."
The players mentioned by the reporter Richard Bartsch, Josef Bönnen and goalkeeper Peter Nagelschmidt are the backbone of the Werkself after the First World War. Richard Bartsch was the captain of the football players at TuS 04 for many years, was a successful goalscorer and playmaker and more physical than his opponents. Due to his size he was considered to be a football giant in our region.
Francoaldo Sena de Souza, known as Franca, was born on 2 March 1976 in Codó in north-eastern Brazil and is one of the best-known Brazilian football players of the late 1990s and early 2000s. His exceptional talent became apparent early on. He began his career at smaller Brazilian clubs before moving to the tradition-steeped São Paulo FC in 1996. There, Franca quickly developed into one of the most dangerous strikers in the league. His technique, goal-scoring instinct and agility delighted fans and pundits alike, and he scored numerous goals for the club over the years.
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Lars Bender was born on 27 April 1989 in Rosenheim and grew up with his twin brother Sven in a football-loving family. They began playing football in Brannenburg, a small community near Rosenheim. The twins joined Unterhaching to play for the U11 side, followed by a move to the U14s at 1860 Munich. There, Lars and Sven became German champions with the U17s, skipped the Lion's U19s and were directly part of the 1860 Munich first and second team squads.
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In this video you can see impressive and important goals in Bayer 04 history from the month of March . It's not always about the beauty of the goals, but also a reminder of special games and players.
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Bayer 04 had their backs to the wall after a 3-1 defeat in a rearranged match at FC Kaiserslautern on 17 March 1981. After a throw-in, which the linesman clearly indicated in favour of the Werkself, but which the Lauter team quickly took and the weak referee did not intervene, a dubious penalty was awarded. Lauter took advantage of this to make it 2-1 in the 84th minute. Finally, a shot by the home side, which did not cross the line, made it 3-1 and Bayer 04 had to go home from Betzenberg without any points.
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It was 4 March 1951 and Bayer 04 were five points ahead going into the decisive home game against second-placed SSV Wuppertal, who would merge with TSG Vohwinkel 80 to form Wuppertaler SV three years later. Bayer 04 press officer Heinz Nelles predicted a big matchday at the sports ground at the Stadtpark and recommends Bayer 04 fans to buy their tickets in advance from the usual ticket outlets, especially from Peter Haas at the Trinkhalle Rathaus. After a four-week injury lay-off, centre-forward Emil ‘Bubi’ Becks will be back for the first time. And when the gates to the Stadtpark are opened on Sunday, the spectators stream into the stadium. The windows of the houses on the neighbouring Walter-Nernst-Straße are also packed.
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