The match starts quietly and fairly. Bayer 04 press for the lead but August Schiefer, Manfred Höher and Theo Kirchberg miss clear-cut opportunities. Eickel take the lead from a counter-attack and the Werkself fail to equalise from the penalty spot. The visitors take their lead into half-time.
The leveller comes quickly in the second half but Eickel counter-attack again to promptly retake the lead. Bayer 04 crank up the tempo. And, within a short space of time, the match is turned round and the Werkself are 4-2 up. Manfred Höher, Bubi Becks and August Schiefer are the goalscorers. The match now begins to take a turn for the worse.
First, the Eickel player Ratajczak kicks the Bayer 04 defender Jakob Kaiser, who refuses to be intimidated and kicks straight back – both are sent off. The visitors' keeper Golbach enters into discussions with spectators behind the goal and he verbally abuses them. When he tries to punch a spectator through the net, a fist fight ensues next to his goal on 76 minutes during which two visiting players and two spectators vent their rage. It develops into a real punch-up.
Children and teenagers run onto the pitch to get a closer look at events. The match is suspended and the visitors return to the dressing room with the exception of two players. The pitch is cleared after a few minutes and the referee asks the two teams to resume the game. However, the Eickel players refuse. They try to get the match abandoned so it can be replayed.
The association ruled in favour of Bayer 04 a couple of weeks later as the team were not at fault and a 4-2 win was awarded to the Werkself. The two spectators who were involved in the fight were disciplined by the club but were back at the next game. Stadium bans were unknown at that time.
Dieter Bast was born in Oberhausen on 28 August 1951. He began playing football in the youth team at DJK Arminia Klosterhardt, a local club in Oberhausen. Whilst training as a toolmaker, he moved to neighbouring club Sterkrade 06/07 to play for their U19s, where he caught the eye of Bundesliga sides Rot-Weiss Essen and Borussia Mönchengladbach. Bast opted for Rot-Weiss and played in the Bundesliga from 1970 onwards. In his very first year, he made 22 appearances as a right winger, scoring three goals. Nevertheless, Essen were unable to avoid relegation.
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José Vítor Roque Júnior was born on 31 August 1976 in Santa Rita do Sapucaí, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. As a youth, he played for São José EC, a club in the east of the state of São Paulo. His professional career began in 1995 with Palmeiras São Paulo. There, Roque Júnior quickly established himself as a key player in the team, making more than 200 appearances and enjoying significant success. With the club, he won the Copa do Brasil in 1998 and the Copa Libertadores in 1999, the South American equivalent of the European Champions League.
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In this video you can see impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 from the month of August. It's not always about the beauty of the goals, but also a reminder of special games and players.
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The Werkself play their first top-flight match in Bayer 04’s history away at Sportfreunde Katernberg. 7,000 spectators turn up at the Am Lindenbruch stadium in that district of Essen. The Katernbergers have transformed the once ‘barren’ pitch into a real gem. On this Sunday afternoon, 19 August 1951, the lush turf provides the perfect conditions for a good game of football.
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Following a thoroughly successful start with a 2–1 home win against VfL Wolfsburg, the Werkself are organising a team event. On Wednesdays, they head to the Nürburgring together and do a few laps at speed. Manager Klaus Toppmöller welcomes this initiative, as it promotes team spirit and integration. During weekly training sessions, the team works extensively on various defensive tactics, as the manager was dissatisfied with his players’ pressing in the final minutes of the match against the Wolves.
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