The Black and Reds take the lead on four minutes thanks to a goal from left winger Horst Schultz. A journalist in his news report describes the Bayer 04 style of play as of "the English style: unpretentious, powerful and with sober-minded success." Borussia look to find the winning way by playing a passing game on the tricky snow-covered surface, which only succeeds at times. Nevertheless, Alfred Kelbassa levels for the Black and Yellows on 28 minutes but Leo Bering restores the lead for the Bayer team before half-time.
In the second half, BVB attack the goal brilliantly minded by Fredi Mutz. Mutz, playing in a tracksuit because of the cold, could not prevent Wolfgang Peters equalising before half-time. But this time it only takes ten minutes before Leo Behring again gives the Werkself the lead. One Borussia attack after the other rains down on the Bayer 04 goal but the players led by centre back Peter Röger stop any further goals being scored.
The Kicker on the Werkself: "The team avoid any forms of deception. That's why they are clearly underrated. Every player appears worked through and sees himself as a modest servant for the good of the team as a whole."
In addition, a newspaper reporter visits the Bayer 04 dressing room after the game and discovers, "that there has rarely been a more heartfelt harmony between the players and the officials of a club. And this mental approach could provide the solution to the puzzle of the continuing Bayer wins."
Harmony has never undermined sporting success, we saw that last season.
Hans Sarpei was born on 28 June 1976 in Tema, Ghana, and came to Germany with his parents at the age of three, where he grew up in Cologne. Even before he was born, his mother and father worked in Hamburg in the import-export sector. There they met an older man who introduced them to German culture and supported them. Out of gratitude, Hans was later given his first name, although this man died before he was born. Hans comes from a sporting family; his older brother Edward and his nephews Hans Nunoo Sarpei and Kingsley Sarpei were or are also professional footballers.
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On 3 June 1953, Hans-Josef (‘Sepp’) Kretschmann became the fifth coach in the history of Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Born in Allenstein, East Prussia, on 21 March 1902, the football coach first studied to become a teacher before later switching to football. He took over the Werkself from Franz Strehle, under whom the team twice managed to stay in the 1st Oberliga West. However, Strehle did not extend his contract in Leverkusen after these two very successful years.
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After promotion to Bundesliga North 2 in the summer of 1975, Bayer 04 are fighting relegation just eight months later. The club expects full commitment from everyone in this precarious situation. Promotion coach Manfred Rummel is to give up his main job as a teacher at the Mülheim special school and become a full-time coach at Bayer 04. The coach, who is very popular with the team, does not see himself in a position to fulfil the club's request. Despite a 2-0 home win against SpVgg Erkenschwick, Manfred Rummel is put on gardening leave by "mutual agreement".
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Bayer 04, already been promoted to the 1st Oberliga West, played friendly after friendly in the second half of May 1951. And that continued throughout the following month.
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Jacek Krzynowek was born on 15 May 1976 in Kamiensk, Poland, and grew up as a typical country boy. He spent his childhood less in structured training sessions and more on simple pitches, where he spent hours playing football with older boys. He realised early on that he had exceptional shooting power and enormous stamina. But for a long time, he didn't appreciate just how much talent he had. While others dream of a great career, professional football initially seems like a distant world to him that he only knows from television.
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