The team from Cologne were unlucky that Heinz Goffart had to go off injured in the first 15 minutes and in the second half he "played" at right back with his knee bandaged. There were no substitutions back then meaning that an injured player had to either leave the pitch or carry on as best they could. With that advantage, the Werkself took the lead before half-time with the former Köln player Walter Nußbaum, who was pulling the strings in midfield, in the team. From a cross by the right winger Waldemar Langwagen, Leverkusen's first international for the DFB B team, centre forward Fritz Tiede made it 1-0 with a wonderful header.
The Bayer 04 fans are joyful when left winger Horst Schultz scores from a tight angle to make it 2-0 two minutes into the second half. However, Herbert Dörner pulls a goal back two minutes later after a solo run to make it 2-1. Under hectic pressure from FC Köln, the Werkself defend with eleven men and then counter-attack with four, five or six players after regaining possession. And if a Köln player shoots then Fredi Mutz, the goalkeeper with a thousand hands, is on hand to make the save.
The giant in the Bayer 04 goal has been in outstanding form for weeks. "Schäfer shoots, Mutz punches, a Stollenwerk rocket, Mutz saves with one hand, Röhrig hits a low shot, Mutz saves with his foot, Müller with a follow-up shot, Mutz holds on!" (Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger 22.11.1954). And all that in just 15 seconds. But with ten men, the Red and Whites are unable to overcome the outstanding Bayer team. Leo Bering scores to make it 3-1 after clinically exploiting a poor punch from the Köln keeper Klaus Hartenstein. And suddenly, unbelievable today, the whole of the Köln support gets behind Leverkusen. Every Werkself attack is supported loudly by the whole stadium and the goal sealing the win, scored by Waldemar Langwagen on 69 minutes, is celebrated frenetically. Bayer 04 Leverkusen made a lasting impression and at the end of the season third place is just not enough to qualify for the German championship finals but it is the first time finishing ahead of FC Köln in the final table.
Zoltan Sebescen was born on 1 October 1975 in Ehingen and he started playing football as a child. His talent stood out early on and he was accepted into the youth section at Stuttgarter Kickers in 1982. There he progressed through all the youth teams and continued to develop. His breakthrough in the men's game came in the mid-1990s, when he moved up to the Kickers first team squad. With his speed, dynamism and attacking drive, he soon made a name for himself beyond the region. He and his team were promoted from the Regional League South to Bundesliga 2 in 1996 and stayed in the league with Stuttgart for three years.
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Jens Nowotny was born on 11 January 1974 in Malsch, Baden-Württemberg. As a youngster, he played for SV Spielberg and Germania Friedrichstal and later joined the youth section at Karlsruher SC. As a 15-year-old, he became an integral part of the DFB national youth set-up and played for all of the Germany junior teams. One highlight was an U15 international against England at Wembley.
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It is Tuesday, 20 October 2015 - a Champions League night at the BayArena. The visitors: AS Roma. What awaits the spectators is a memorable football match full of drama, speed and emotion. The Werkself get off to a flying start and literally overrun the slightly favoured Italians in the early stages. The scoreline was 2-0 after just twenty minutes - both goals were scored by Mexico international Chicharito. Bayer 04 put the visitors under constant pressure with their aggressive pressing and bold attacking play and even had a chance to make it 3-0. Then the AS Roma captain Daniele De Rossi brought his team back into the game with a brace making it 2-2 at half-time.
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In the video you can see impressive and important goals in Bayer 04 history from the month of October. It's not always about the beauty of the goals, but also a reminder of special games and players.
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On 23 October 1960, a highly anticipated local derby took place in the DFB Pokal, which the team had to qualify for via the regional association cup competitions at the time: SV Schlebusch hosted the Werkself from Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Around 2,000 spectators flocked to the "Am Bühl" stadium to watch the game kicking off at 3 pm.
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