The hosts tire after the hour mark and the team around midfielder Peter Surbach can finally get the upper hand. Manfred Schumann heads home the opening goal from a Hans-Werner Marx corner on 74 minutes. Manfred Vetter, who replaced Peter Litzinger on 66 minutes, makes it 2-0 with a powerful shot from 30 metres out six minutes later. And the former Frechen player Matthias Brücken seals the win on 88 minutes. At the end of the day, a convincing victory and a good start to 1975.
The Werkself are away to league leaders Bonner SC a week later. 5,000 spectators come to the big match at the Bonner Nord Park. Bayer 04 make an impressive start: The team under coach Manfred Rummel take the lead on 14 minutes with a shot from Peter Surbach from 16 metres out but the Bonner team responds aggressively. Urged on by their supporters, they besiege Hubert Makel's goal. But the hosts failed to score in Bayer 04 take the lead into half-time. It is the same story in the second half: on attack, Bayer 04 counter-attack skilfully. The referee is deceived by a dive from the former Bayer 04 youth player Karl Heinz Wöhler on 58 minutes. But Hubert Makel saves the penalty. But he his lucky a few minutes later when a shot hits the post but that does not hold on 72 minutes. A header against the bar bounces back onto his shoulder and into the net – 1-1. Gerd Kentschke has a big chance just before the final whistle but all in all it ends in a fair draw.
The Bayer team are away again on 19 January. This time at BC Oberbruch-Heinsberg. The rearranged game from matchday 13 is watched by only 700 spectators who see the Werkself play good passing football but without the final finish. Manfred Vetter open the scoring in the second half on 63 minutes but the hosts reply with more aggression and energy. Leverkusen clear off the line twice. The deserved equaliser for the Oberbruch team comes on 83 minutes. The Werkself take just one point from the game.
Another rearranged game in the middle of the week this time at home at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. 1,200 spectators want to watch the night match for the Werkself against SG Eschweiler but the floodlights don't have the same stimulating effect on the Bayer team as so often before. Manfred Vetter again opens the scoring on eight minutes with a fine long-range shot but nothing goes right after that. There is uncertainty and misunderstanding in a surprising way and Eschweiler get their chances on goal. The visitors press hard for the equaliser in the second half. But centre-forward Manfred Schumann makes it 2-0 from a corner. Nevertheless, the Bayer game is still unsettled. The whistles from the fans are justified as "the Black and Reds look out of ideas and helpless and that was the reason for a dour football match" (Stadt-Anzeiger dated 23.01.1975). Two points are one in the end. That's the only thing that counts in that game.
The Werkself have another home game four days later. This time Godesberger FV are the visitors in front of 1,500 spectators. Not much goes right in the first half despite an early goal scored by Matthias Brücken (6’). But Manfred Schumann (47') and Matthias Brücken (48’) score two quick goals after the restart and the Werkself are moving the ball much better. Again it is Manfred Schumann who finds the back of the net on 57 minutes to make it 4-0. Matthias Brücken with goals number 15 and 16 of the season and another strike from Klaus Röhrig increase the scoreline to 7-0. The Werkself are one point behind league leaders SC Jülich 10 in second place at the end of January.
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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