From the archives: 70 years ago – Victory in the snow and ice

The Werkself coped surprisingly well with the difficult surface. Jupp Zesar, usually deployed in defensive midfield or defence, started the game as a centre-forward and scored the first two goals before the break. In the sixth minute, he latched onto a through pass from accomplished string-puller Richard Job and finished with a crisp shot into the far corner. For the second goal a minute before the break, Zesar volleyed home a cross from Job. Bayer 04 deserved the first-half lead and could even have gone into the break further ahead, but Walter Nußbaum missed a penalty.

The men from Sodingen emerged from the dressing room with a completely different mindset and reduced the deficit with their very first attack of the second half. When they then equalised ten minutes later, Bayer 04 seemed completely rattled and the game threatened to slip from their grasp. Goalkeeper Fredy Mutz just managed to fish a wonderful long-range shot out of the top right-hand corner midway through the second half. The game was on a knife-edge and offered plenty of action with chances at both ends. In the 81st minute, Job broke through on the left, charged into the centre and shot from 20 metres out. The effort was straight down the middle, but slipped through the fingers of Sodingen keeper Schmidt and landed in the net, prompting jubilation from the Leverkusen supporters. Staring defeat in the face, the Westphalian club fought to the end but the Werkself held out and the two points remained under the Bayer cross.