In front of a crowd of 6,000, the Werkself, playing in their orange shirts, made a good start and should have taken the lead much earlier than in the 36th minute. Dieter Herzog set up the opener scored by Gerd Kentschke. It was the goalscorer in particular who repeatedly put the three strikers – Peter Hermann, Norbert Ziegler and Dieter Herzog – in good shooting positions, but the score remained 1–0 at half-time.
On 12 September 1976, Willibert Kremer – who would later lead the team to promotion – fielded a line-up comprising Fred Bockholt in goal, Hans-Jürgen Scheinert, Walter Posner and Jürgen Gelsdorf in defence, and the three players already mentioned – Peter Hermann, Norbert Ziegler and Dieter Herzog – a total of seven players who in 1979 made the ‘fluke’ possible: promotion to the Bundesliga. Even the eighth player, Gerd Kentschke, would play a key role in the promotion as assistant manager. He held that post until 1989 and he was also head coach of the amateur side at the same time. On both occasions, he was succeeded by Peter Hermann – both as assistant manager in 1989 and as head coach of the amateur side in 1997. From 2001 onwards, Peter Hermann then returned to the role of assistant manager for many years.
Centre-forward Norbert Ziegler set up the scouting department at Bayer 04, and Dieter Herzog became a scout for the Werkself in the 1990s. Defender Jürgen Gelsdorf, after retiring from playing in 1986, first became a youth coach and later head coach at the Werkself; he remains head of the football department at TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen to this day.
In the second half of this Bundesliga 2 North league match, Bayer 04 missed the chance to extend their lead to 2–0. The equaliser then came on 67 minutes. Fortuna Köln were now given a boost and put the Werkself under enormous pressure. In the end, both teams were left with a well-deserved point. In their second season following promotion to the Bundesliga 2 North, they managed to stay above the relegation zone in tenth and avoid relegation.
Michael Ballack was born on 26 September 1976 in Görlitz, in what was then East Germany. His talent for football became apparent at an early age. After his family moved to Karl-Marx-Stadt – now Chemnitz – he began playing football for BSG Motor ‘Fritz Heckert’ Karl-Marx-Stadt, where he steadily developed his skills. From Year 7 onwards, he attended the Children’s and Youth Sports School and received systematic sporting support, which, in 1988 – due to his growing skill as a player – led to a move to FC Karl-Marx-Stadt. At the age of 16, he had to take a six-month break due to growth problems, but after that, Michael was unstoppable.
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José Elias Moedim Júnior, known as Zé Elias, was born on 25 September 1976 in São Paulo. He received his football training at Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, or Corinthians for short, and was promoted to the first team at the age of just 17. PSV Eindhoven had already taken notice of him by this stage, but the move to Europe was still too early for him. The tenacious defensive midfielder established himself in the first team over the following three years. With Corinthians, Zé Elias won the São Paulo City Championship and the Brazilian Cup in 1995. With his excellent vision, his determination and his assured ball control, he made a significant contribution to his team’s success.
Show moreIn their second season in Bundesliga 2 North, the Werkself face Fortuna Köln at their home ground, the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, on matchday 7. Both teams are level on seven points, sitting eighth and ninth in the table.
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In this video you can see impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 from the month of September. It's not always about the beauty of the goals, but also a reminder of special games and players.
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September gets off to a disastrous start, though not for the Werkself: the German national team, featuring Bayer 04 players Jens Nowotny, Michael Ballack and Oliver Neuville, suffer a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of England in a World Cup qualifier at the Olympic Stadium in Munich. Jens Nowotny, in particular, came in for sharp criticism. With this defeat, Germany’s direct qualification is now hanging in the balance.
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