History: 25 years ago – The 2001/02 ‘treble runners-up’ season (October)

In the end, the centre-forward from the Palatinate made it onto the team sheet and came on as a substitute in the 76th minute. The Greeks pull off a miracle at Wembley, even leading 2–1 at one stage, only to concede at 2-2 to David Beckham in stoppage time. But the German team fail to score against the Scandinavians, and so the match ends 0–0. Germany now face Ukraine in the play-offs.

Back at the BayArena, the Werkself are preparing for their Champions League home match against Fenerbahçe, which was postponed due to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre. With all the international players returning to Leverkusen on time and, above all, fit and well, coach Klaus Toppmöller faces no major problems. Although the Turks took a 1–0 lead on six minutes, this did nothing to dampen the Werkself’s attacking momentum. Lucio equalised before half-time, and following a deserved red card for one of the visitors’ players, Bayer 04’s pressure grew steadily in the second half. Michael Ballack sealed the victory on 59 minutes – the Werkself now comfortably lead Group F with nine points.

Bayer 04 move up to third in Cottbus

Ahead of the next Bundesliga match in the Lausitz against Energie Cottbus, speculation over Jens Nowotny’s move to FC Bayern is heating up once again. Every official at the Munich club is commenting on the captain’s potential transfer, and in the end, ‘Jenne’ dictates the following to the Kicker reporter’s notebook:

“I have never expressed any interest in moving to Munich. That was definitely not up for discussion on my part. As far as I’m concerned, the matter of FC Bayern is now settled once and for all.”

On Saturday, 13 October 2001, the team face an away match against Energie Cottbus. Head coach Klaus Toppmöller is without the injured Ze Roberto and Yildiray Bastürk, and gives captain Jens Nowotny a rest. Instead, Boris Zivkovic starts in central defence and Jurica Vranjes lines up alongside Carsten Ramelow in defensive midfield. Although the Werkself took an early 1–0 lead on four minutes through Ulf Kirsten, the hosts equalised in the 12th minute thanks to former Bayer 04 player Sebastian Helbig.

Six minutes later, Zoltan Sebescen was shown a second yellow card, and an entertaining match ensued, with Bayer 04 playing with great focus. Shortly before half-time, Michael Ballack headed a cross from Bernd Schneider into the net, and the Werkself went into the break with a 2–1 lead.

Energie came out of the dressing room full of vigour and equalised in the 50th minute. However, many of Bayer 04’s attacks were orchestrated by the hard-working Bernd Schneider, and one of these counter-attacks led to a penalty following a foul on Diego Placente. Once again, it is Ulf Kirsten who slots the ball into the net. The final half-hour turns into a defensive battle, in which the Werkself successfully defend their goal with a mixture of luck and skill, securing third place in the table with three vital points.

Barcelona stronger at nou camp

The following Wednesday, the match kicks off at Camp Nou. In front of 75,000 spectators, the Catalans play the more attacking football and force the Werkself onto the back foot with their precise passing moves. As the Werkself struggled to contain Barcelona’s constantly shifting attack, chances began to pile up for the hosts, who deservedly took the lead in the 12th minute. Barcelona responded promptly with a 2–1 lead after Carsten Ramelow’s equaliser out of the blue following Leverkusen’s very first attack. In the second half, the Werkself only began to push forward more boldly in the closing stages, but centre-forward Ulf Kirsten squandered the best chance to score. Barcelona secured a deserved win, and a three-way battle ensued between the Spaniards, Lyon and Bayer 04 for the two coveted places that would keep them in the competition.

Back at home, VfB Stuttgart visit the BayArena for their next Bundesliga match. Without Carsten Ramelow, who is suspended after picking up a yellow card, Zoltan Sebescen, suspended after receiving a red card, and Jens Nowotny, suffering from a meniscus contusion, the Werkself struggle for much of the match. Although Ze Roberto cancelled out Stuttgart’s early lead with a direct free-kick, Bayer 04 struggled to create any real chances against a well-organised and mobile Stuttgart defence. It was not until the second half that the Werkself developed their usual high-pressing and purposeful attacking play. Ze Roberto emerged as the catalyst for numerous attacks down the left flank, whilst Michael Ballack and Yildiray Bastürk created goal-scoring opportunities, but the decisive goals came from two set-pieces. First, Boris Zivkovic headed a free-kick from Ze Roberto over the line, and following a corner, Lucio thundered the ball under the crossbar. Substitute Dimitar Berbatov put the finishing touch on the 4–1 victory.

black and reds through to next round in Istanbul

Two days after their victory over the Swabians, the Werkself boarded a flight to Istanbul. On Tuesday, 23 October 2001, Bayer 04 played at the Sükrü Saracoglu Stadium. The Turks are out of contention, sitting in fourth place in the group with zero points, which is why only 13,000 spectators turn up to watch the match. With long passes and controlled build-up play, Bayer 04 sap much of the Turks’ early momentum and look brilliantly organised in defence. Without Lucio, who was suspended for this match after picking up three yellow cards, Jens Nowotny and Carsten Ramelow in particular ensured that Fenerbahçe didn’t get anywhere near Jörg Butt’s goal.

Bayer 04’s 2–1 half-time lead is thoroughly deserved. In the second half, Michael Ballack’s side fail to capitalise on their numerous chances to seal the victory. Shortly before the final whistle, the Istanbul side had a chance to equalise, but after ninety minutes, Bayer 04 secured a well-deserved victory and qualification for the next round of the Champions League, as Barcelona won 3–2 away at Lyon.

On the Saturday following the match in Turkey, Bayer 04 face 1860 Munich at the Olympic Stadium in Munich. The Werkself put in a commanding performance in the first half-hour, but in the 31st minute, Thomas Häßler turned the match on its head with a long-range shot. However, two minutes later, the more than deserved equaliser came from former Bayer 04 player Torben Hoffmann, who scored an own goal. In the second half, Klaus Toppmöller’s side suddenly looked tentative and hesitant and were lucky not to fall behind. Following a tactical foul by Yildiray Bastürk in the 68th minute, not only did he receive a yellow card, but Michael Ballack protested so vociferously that referee Hartmut Strampe also brandished a yellow card at the midfielder. But that wasn’t all.

The referee initially overlooks Lucio’s throwing of the ball. But when the Brazilian kicks the ball away whilst it is already on the ground and then applauds derisively in response to the yellow card he receives for it, the referee is not impressed: He sends the centre-back off with a second yellow card. Down to ten men, and following the substitutions of Boris Zivkovic and Zoltan Sebescen for the more attacking Ulf Kirsten and Michael Ballack, order is suddenly restored to Leverkusen’s play. In the 78th minute, Diego Placente scored his first goal for the Werkself, with Bernd Schneider and Oliver Neuville adding to the tally. The match ended in a cleverly worked 4–1 victory and second place in the table behind FC Bayern.

Toppi rests players against lyon

And the back-to-back fixtures show no sign of letting up. On Wednesday 31 October 2001, the final Champions League group stage match against Lyon takes place at the BayArena. Although top spot in the group is still up for grabs, as everyone at Bayer 04 expects Barcelona to secure a clear victory over Fenerbahçe, coach Klaus Toppmöller gives some of his players a well-deserved rest. He leaves out Jens Nowotny, Carsten Ramelow, Michael Ballack, Yildiray Bastürk, Oliver Neuville and Ulf Kirsten. For the first time, Bernd Schneider leads the Werkself onto the pitch as captain. Dimitar Berbatov and Thomas Brdaric lead the line up front, with Pascal Ojigwe and Jurica Vranjes stepping into the roles usually filled by Carsten Ramelow and Boris Zivkovic, whilst Lucio partners him in central defence. But it quickly becomes clear that Bayer 04 have never played in this formation before. The play is too static in the first half, and so the French side’s 2–1 half-time lead is thoroughly deserved.

In the second half, Dimitar Berbatov quickly equalised, whilst Thomas Brdaric, in particular, squandered a chance to put his side ahead. However, Lyon were not under pressure for long; they struck again against the shaky Bayer 04 defence and went home with a 4–2 victory that was ultimately deserved. It’s no major setback for coach Klaus Toppmöller’s side, as their first target – qualifying for the Champions League intermediate group stage – had already been achieved before the match. For Bayer 04, the focus is now on recovering and preparing for this weekend’s top-of-the-table clash against third-placed FC Kaiserslautern.