“1,200 spectators yesterday witnessed a battle for the title, in the truest sense of the word, at the pitch on Hemmelrather Weg. A battle from the first to the last minute … even if played unfairly at times, and that is part and parcel of it. The referee definitely knew when to step in at the right moment. The Opladen team played well even though their forwards could not score more goals but this was not due to their inability but rather the outstanding work by the Leverkusen goalkeeper. Opladen were particularly on top in the second half with the exception of the first ten minutes and the final attacks. The hosts could certainly say they were lucky to get a point. All the visitors players stuck to their tasks and defended well with good cover particularly in the first half. The halfbacks, namely Schlemper and Kauter, again and again drove their attack forwards and worked so hard in midfield that the team from the paint town were unable to break through. There was harmonious cooperation in the attack even if some things went astray at times.
Leverkusen’s best player was the goalkeeper König, the defence were on their toes and the halfbacks also worked hard. The build-up play left something to be desired at times, the crosses lacked accuracy and were hit too high. The forwards were satisfactory in the first half. Peckhaus stood out as the centre forward. The hosts had the slight advantage in the first half, some good chances were missed and, by contrast as mentioned above, the visitors had the best of the second half. According to the flow of the game, Opladen should have won but defending is also a skill at the end of the day. Let’s take a closer look key moments in the game:
Leverkusen were slightly on top in the first 15 minutes. Peckhaus missed once and the ball went over the bar shortly after that. A corner was cleared then the opposite end, König made a number of saves. The Opladen attack did not really get going and they got tied up in their own moves. Opladen then came into the game, the centre forward passed to the inside right and he scored the first goal with a shot that left König with no chance. Leverkusen did not give up, were courageous in attack but were unable to score before half-time.
Leverkusen applied heavy pressure from the start of the second half. A solo run by Dickbrenner led to a corner. Taken by the same player, the ball landed in the back of the net. Kauter wanted to clear but he only succeeded in putting the ball over the line (it was not his fault). Then it was over for Leverkusen, Opladen were on top with one shot after the next… into the hands of the Leverkusen keeper now … no, against the bar! Then Steinacker is unmarked by the post. The hosts had to survive some long and worrying minutes but the visitors do not manage to do anything and, with a minute to play, the home team can secure victory with Dickbrenner having the ball unmarked in front of goal… but he puts it over the bar. That, gentlemen, is followed by the final whistle. The points are shared between the brothers.”
That was a report from the 1930s. Very authentic, sometimes with a very barbed style, also thoroughly critical and always on the ball. And derby matches were played by brothers back then.
Bernd Schneider, born in Jena on 17 November 1973, spent his early years in the German Democratic Republic. He took his first steps in football at the two Jena clubs BSG Aufbau and FC Carl Zeiss, the biggest club in his hometown. He played in the second division for six years in the 90s. Bernd Schneider stood out as an accomplished dribbler with his experience from street football always evident. His nickname Schnix comes from the Thuringian dialect: ‘Schnixeln’ is a synonym for dribbling, being able to control the ball. After Jena were relegated in 1998, Schnix went in the opposite direction. Newly promoted Eintracht Frankfurt brought into the Bundesliga. He spent a year there.
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18 June 1950 saw a friendly match for FC Köln, formed from the merger of two clubs in February 1948, against the Werkself at the Stadion Am Stadtpark. The two teams had already faced each other in May 1949 as winners of the Rhine district leagues in the final for promotion to the Oberliga West. The new club from Cologne came out on top in the two games and were promoted.
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In a messed-up season in 1984/85 everybody is happy that the battle against relegation is over before the final matchday. The visitors are UEFA Cup contenders SV Waldhof Mannheim in front of a sparse 6,000 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The Waldhof lads under their coach Klaus Schlappner are the surprise packet of the season. In their second campaign in the Bundesliga, the team from Mannheim are fifth on 35 points (with two points for a win back then) ahead of the game in Leverkusen and in a UEFA Cup qualifying spot. Two points behind them are Bayer 05 Uerdingen and Hamburg SV.
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Tranquillo Barnetta was born in St. Gallen in Switzerland on 22 May 1985. Quillo, as he was called in the football world, has Italian roots. His great-grandfather emigrated from Italy to the east of Switzerland. Quillo was interested in football early on and he played for the St. Gallen club FC Rotmonten from the age of six. He joined his favourite club FC St. Gallen at the age of 11. There he became a youth international. He won the European Championships with his teammates in the Switzerland U17 team in 2002. The youngsters from Switzerland beat France 4-2 on penalties in the final to become U17 European champions.
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Since the establishment of the Bundesliga on 28 July 1962 for the 1963/64 season, there have been five Regional Leagues: North, Berlin, West, South-west and South. The champions of those five leagues qualified directly for promotion play-offs that were played in two groups of four teams. That included the two second-placed teams in the West and South-west Regional Leagues. The two runners-up from the North and the South played a qualifier for the eighth place in the promotion games.
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