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The situation in the table is as follows: The Werkself are eighth with 17 points just two behind third-placed Borussia Mönchengladbach. Köln are thirteenth on 13 points five points above the relegation spots. But as so often in this fixture, the position in the table is not important but instead the attitude on the pitch – and that proves to be right from the first minute. Both teams give their all, Bayer 04 take the lead on 19 minutes through Rudi Völler who was outstanding on the day.
Without the injured Bernd Schuster, Hans-Peter Lehnhoff and Ulf Kirsten, the Werkself only hold onto the lead for two minutes when a low shot from Bruno Labbadia from 18 metres out appears to be going wide but surprises me by ending up in the net. From that point I gave everything to keep out several shots on goal from the Köln team and in the first half I am bundled into the net by the Köln centre-forward Toni Polster at a cross. I carry on playing with a painful jaw. Heiko Scholz puts us back in front with a goal on 33 minutes. That is the scoreline at half-time. I'm given some ice for my jaw and we carry on in the second half. Köln try everything but go a player down on 65 minutes with a second yellow card for defender Karsten Baumann. From now on it is somewhat easier for the Werkself to control the game. With 88 minutes gone, substitute Markus Münch settles the Bayer 04 fans and his teammates with a great shot from the edge of the box for the final scoreline of 3-1.
We do a lap of honour after the game, shower and then go into the VIP room in our area is always after a home game. When I sit down at the table where my wife sitting she just says: Your face is crooked." I say: "Well, the jaws a bit painful but I know it will be better tomorrow." I pick up a prawn, bite into it with gusto and scream. My wife: "I think we'll go to hospital." Said and done. The x-rays show a broken jaw, my mouth is wired up and that means: only liquid food for the next three weeks and no sport at all. The next three days I only eat soup and lose three kilos in weight. From that point, my wife makes me mash potatoes alternatively mixed with carrots and broccoli. The first solid meal for me comes on Christmas Eve as you have to have turkey at Christmas.
Dirk Heinen is in the Bayer 04 goal for the remaining two games of the year, in the UEFA Cup against GKS Katowice (4-0) and in the Bundesliga in Dresden (1-1) and he does a very good job.
Thomas Hörster was born in Essen on 27 November 1956. As a child, he took part in high diving and judo, but was also passionate about football. After starting out at Blau-Weiß Holsterhausen-Essen, he moved on to ETB Schwarz-Weiß Essen. As a U19 player, he trained with the senior side for the first time. And at just under 18 years of age, Thommy – as he is known – made his debut in Bundesliga 2. Over two-and-a-half seasons, he made 71 appearances for Schwarz-Weiß Essen.
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Bernd Dreher was born in Leverkusen on 2 November 1966 and he began playing football at SV Schlebusch at the age of five. At the age of nine, he joined the youth academy at Bayer 04. There, the goalkeeper progressed through all the youth teams and, with the U19s in 1985, he reached the final of the German Championship, that Bayer 04 lost 4-2 to Eintracht Frankfurt.
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Robson Ponte was born on 6 November 1976 in São Paulo. He began his football career in Brazil with CA Juventus. He then played for América FC and Guarani FC. In 1999, he joined Bayer 04. Robson initially played for the Werkself until 2001. He then moved to VfL Wolfsburg on a two-year loan. There, he continued to develop and gained valuable experience in the Bundesliga. In 2003, he returned to Leverkusen, where he particularly showcased his dribbling skills and his ability in attacking midfield. In total, he made 79 appearances for Bayer 04 and scored six goals.
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In this video you can see impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 from the month of November. It's not always about the beauty of the goals, but also a reminder of special games and players.
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On Sunday, 4 November 1951, the first league derby between Bayer 04 and FC Köln took place. The FC Köln stadium in Müngersdorf was absolutely bursting at the seams for this clash. A veritable invasion of Bayer 04 fans from Leverkusen set off for Cologne by tram and bus. From midday onwards, in addition to the scheduled services, six extra tram services ran at the standard fare from Leverkusen Town Hall to the stadium in Cologne. At the same time, buses operated by Grein ran regularly from Wiesdorf market square to Cologne. In the end, over 5,000 Bayer 04 fans waved their black and red flags in the stands at the FC Köln stadium and got behind their team for ninety minutes.
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