Now comes the first friendly match. At that time it was usual for the clubs in Germany to play friendly matches many weeks before the start of the season to raise a few marks from the spectators to cover the costs of their teams.
FC Köln, who finished fifth in the Oberliga a month before, field their best possible side as did the Werkself. 5,000 spectators are at the stadium for the kick-off and they see a Werkself side on top of their game. The Bayer team produce a flawless performance, are quicker and more nimble and creative in attack. Constant harrying from the Werkself strikers creates a real threat for the Köln defence.
Manfred Höher and new signing Hans Flohe put Bayer 04 2-0 up. FC Köln pull a goal back seconds before half-time. After the restart, Manfred Höher volleys a corner from Anton Mauth into the net to make it 3-1. Shortly after that Theo Kirchberg converts a cross from Manfred Höher for the fourth Leverkusen goal. Höher scores again for his hat-trick and Mauth makes it 6-1. To date, 6-1 is the biggest victory for Bayer 04 in the clash with the neighbours.
Striking in 1950: Neither the sports journal Der Fußball-Sport nor NWDR report the result. It is probably embarrassing for the two media outlets given what happened to their Köln players in Leverkusen.
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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