Bayer 04 take the lead on six minutes through Ulf Kirsten and lose two players within 30 seconds on 28 minutes after second yellow cards: Markus Münch and the goalscorer. A third Werkself player is sent off on 63 minutes when Carsten Ramelow gets his marching orders. The seven outfield players battle for 30 minutes in and around the penalty area to deny an equaliser. Wave after wave of attacks roll towards the Bayer 04 goal. Schalke only manage to level the scores at 1-1 on 89 minutes. Bayer 04 are in a relegation battle up to the end of the season and only finally avoid the drop on the final matchday. But more on that next month…
The 2003/04 season gets off to a very good start. Bayer 04 are in the leading group straightaway and are third at the end of the first half of the season on 35 points, level with second-placed Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart in fourth, and only four points behind league leaders Werder Bremen. But form drops off after the winter break with just one point picked up in six games.
At the home game against VfL Wolfsburg, the North Stand is empty for the first 15 minutes as the fans protest with a banner left on the fence: “We don’t support alibi football.” The response from the team comes after a few seconds when Dimitar Berbatov scores the opener. The game ended in a 4-2 victory for the Werkself.
That was the start of the race to get to the Champions League spots, which included a 6-0 victory over FC Kaiserslautern that remains the biggest Bundesliga home win for Bayer 04.The Werkself end the league campaign in third place and qualify for the Champions League.
Christoph Daum was born on 24 October 1953 in Zwickau. As a child, he moved to West Germany with his mother and grew up in Duisburg. He developed a great enthusiasm for football at an early age, even though it soon became clear that his future lay less on the pitch than on the sidelines. Even at a young age, his passion for analysing, explaining and improving things became apparent.
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When the Bayer 04 players celebrated Christmas in 1960, they spent the winter in second place in the Oberliga West 2 on 20 points - but already five points behind leaders Schwarz-Weiß Essen. However, coach Erich Garske's team are struggling to get back on track in the new year. A goalless draw against Bonner FV at home at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium was followed by a 2-1 away defeat in Erkenschwick. The following home game also yielded just one point. As a result, the team's promotion ambitions dwindled to a minimum, as the gap to the coveted spot has now grown to a challenging ten points.
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In this video you can see impressive and important goals in Bayer 04 history from the month of February. It's not always about the beauty of the goals, but also a reminder of special games and players.
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It is 11 February 2006 and Schalke 04 and the Werkself kick off at 3.30 p.m. in a match that ends up being historic - at least from a Bayer 04 perspective.
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As league leaders, the Werkself welcomed the relegation-threatened team from Rhenania Würselen. On 4 February 1951, 5,000 spectators line the touchlines despite the Sunday carnival parades. And they see a home team that is superior on the pitch. Without Theo Kirchberg, who was ill, and Emil Becks, who was suspended, the hosts attacked the opposing goal from the start. Battling against a strong wind in the first half, Bayer 04 created chance after chance, but were repeatedly thwarted by the Würselen goalkeeper. With the score at 0-0 at half-time, Karl Heinz Spikofski tried his luck on 55 minutes and hammered the ball into the opposition net from 20 metres out. Rhenania can no longer counterattack. The siege of the Würselen penalty area continued right to the end, but the game ended in a narrow 1-0 win.
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