From 50 minutes, FC Köln, in front of a full house of 20,000 fans, try to manage the game. Then on 80 minutes: Centre-forward Bubi Becks suddenly decides to shake off his marker Hennes Weisweiler and hammer the ball into the back of the net. The previously quiet Black and Red supporters turn the Stadtpark into a madhouse.
They have just recovered from the fortunate equaliser as Becks again races down the touchline, outwits an FC Köln defender and plays the ball to the unmarked Karl-Heinz Spikofski who slots it into the far corner. The Bayer team score two goals in three minutes after not having much luck at all in the previous 80.
Both the fans and the team of ‘FC Sülz-Klettenberg’ (Kölnische Rundschau) head home unhappy. The words of a Bayer 04 fan reflect what many of the 17,000 Werkself supporters feel: "Wow, what an incredible show!"
Michael Ballack was born on 26 September 1976 in Görlitz, in what was then East Germany. His talent for football became apparent at an early age. After his family moved to Karl-Marx-Stadt – now Chemnitz – he began playing football for BSG Motor ‘Fritz Heckert’ Karl-Marx-Stadt, where he steadily developed his skills. From Year 7 onwards, he attended the Children’s and Youth Sports School and received systematic sporting support, which, in 1988 – due to his growing skill as a player – led to a move to FC Karl-Marx-Stadt. At the age of 16, he had to take a six-month break due to growth problems, but after that, Michael was unstoppable.
Show more
José Elias Moedim Júnior, known as Zé Elias, was born on 25 September 1976 in São Paulo. He received his football training at Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, or Corinthians for short, and was promoted to the first team at the age of just 17. PSV Eindhoven had already taken notice of him by this stage, but the move to Europe was still too early for him. The tenacious defensive midfielder established himself in the first team over the following three years. With Corinthians, Zé Elias won the São Paulo City Championship and the Brazilian Cup in 1995. With his excellent vision, his determination and his assured ball control, he made a significant contribution to his team’s success.
Show more
In their second season in Bundesliga 2 North, the Werkself face Fortuna Köln at their home ground, the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, on matchday 7. Both teams are level on seven points, sitting eighth and ninth in the table.
Show more
In this video you can see impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 from the month of September. It's not always about the beauty of the goals, but also a reminder of special games and players.
Show more
September gets off to a disastrous start, though not for the Werkself: the German national team, featuring Bayer 04 players Jens Nowotny, Michael Ballack and Oliver Neuville, suffer a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of England in a World Cup qualifier at the Olympic Stadium in Munich. Jens Nowotny, in particular, came in for sharp criticism. With this defeat, Germany’s direct qualification is now hanging in the balance.
Show more
