South Korean striker Bum-kun Cha made it 1-0 from a corner kick on four minutes. When he added the second twelve minutes later and Christian Schreier made it 3-0 with a direct free-kick after 28 minutes, the Ulrich Haberland Stadium was unrecognisable. The crowd went wild and continued to cheer on the Werkself in the second half.
In the end, the 5-1 victory was the biggest Bundesliga win to date and "the company bosses in the VIP stand were speechless with emotion and enthusiasm. All the great speeches and fine words of recent years did not create this atmosphere. They could not. The team with its great play has created an atmosphere that is unique in Leverkusen." (Kicker from 4 November 1985)
That evening, Bayer 04 produced a seamless display and Werder Bremen coach Otto Rehhagel had the last laugh at the post-match press conference with his statement "Bayer 04 are the absolute title favourites for me". Nobody believed that in the 1980s, that would really be too incredible. But at least the Werkself qualified for the UEFA Cup for the first time at the end of the season.
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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