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Coach Bruno Labbadia oversaw very attractive and successful football at the BayArena construction site. Bayer 04 were also making serene progress in the cup: following victories in Oberhausen and Augsburg, the Werkself were through to the last sixteen. After a long abstinence, they finally had a home game in the competition again, something the black-and-red fans had been waiting for since the 2002 semi-finals. And now, despite the yearned-for home draw, they had to play away in Düsseldorf. Only 16,000 fans made the journey to the LTU Arena on Wednesday, 28 January 2009 for the match against then Bundesliga rivals Energie Cottbus.
A lively Bayer team impressed right from the start with their fast and direct play. The Werkself repeatedly bridged the midfield quickly, driven on by Brazilian midfielder Renato Augusto. Labbadia's charges took a fully-deserved lead after just 12 minutes with a shot from Patrick Helmes. A quarter of an hour later, left-back Michal Kadlec added to his tally when he thumped a Barnetta corner into the net. After Renato Augusto himself completed an irresistible solo run with a shot into the bottom left corner, the Werkself went into the break with a well-deserved 3-0 lead.
Bayer 04 took the pace out of the game in the second half without the outcome ever looking in doubt. It was not until the final minute that the visitors netted a consolation from a direct free-kick. The men from Leverkusen won 3-1 and booked a place in the DFB Cup quarter-finals.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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