Match of the month: 40 years ago - First Bundesliga win in Müngersdorf

On the morning of 31 January 1986, the Werkself meet at 10.30 in the morning at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. At 11 we train a little, more to loosen up and do some light work rather than actual training. After just under an hour, training is over. We take a shower, get on the bus and drive to the hotel - the Hotel Landhaus Gut Keuchhof in Cologne-Lövenich, about a quarter of an hour's drive from the Müngersdorf stadium.

After lunch together, an afternoon nap, a leisurely twenty-minute walk in the cold and the match briefing, we drive to the stadium. When we go into the dressing room, the light in the shower and toilet is out. So going to the loo and stretching, which I used to do in the shower in my playing days before the proper warm-up in the stadium, is in complete darkness.

a goalkeeping error with consequences

When I go to the toilet an hour before the game, sit there in the dark and listen into the darkness, I hear a distant, ever-louder "Bayer, Bayer" and get goosebumps. Some people have made their way to Cologne to support us.

When I go onto the pitch to warm up, 3,000 Bayer 04 fans are already standing expectantly in the away end. There is not much to be seen or heard from the Köln fans on this day, as only 10,000 spectators want to see this clash of the neighbours. The match kicked off at eight in the evening, on a frozen pitch and in drizzle. And after ten minutes, everything seems to be settled, as Klaus Allofs scores twice for FC Köln on six and nine minutes. For the first goal, he appears in a one-on-one with me and whips the ball through my legs.

Three minutes later, I see Klaus Allofs from my position in my own penalty area. I see an FC Köln player running free and picking out Allofs. I anticipate the long ball, make a run and leave the penalty area. The ball bounces once and over me. I try to get back, but after less than ten minutes we're 2-0 down. I could have prevented that goal in several ways. Firstly, by staying in the penalty area and calmly catching the ball. Or: Even where I was standing, just outside the penalty area, simply catching the ball would only have resulted in a yellow card for me and a free kick for FC Köln according to the rules in force at the time. But I thought I could still reach the ball. However, the frozen and wet pitch made it so fast that it flew into the net to make it 2-0.

Minas Hantzidis sets the pace

Just like the week before in the home game against Hamburg SV, we don't do much before half-time. At half-time, coach Erich Ribbeck lays down the law. Just like the week before against HSV, we should turn the game around. And above all: "Win this game for Rudi". Cheered on by the 3,000 Bayer 04 fans, my team-mates now let loose. Driven on again and again by right-back Thomas Zechel, attack after attack is launched towards the FC Köln goal minded by Germany keeper Toni Schumacher. Thomas Zechel scored the equaliser in the 52nd minute. On 55 minutes, Ribbeck brought on Minas Hantzidis, as he had done against HSV. And from then on, every attack was channelled through the long-distance runner with the curly hair. After a short corner kick, Bum-kun Cha manages to score a well-deserved equaliser from a melee. But we kept going. The pressure increased and six minutes after equalising, Herbert Waas headed in the winning goal to make it 3-2. FC Köln are in shock and are unable to hit back before the final whistle.

party in a bar with the Fans

Twice in the space of a week, we turned a 2-0 deficit at the break into a 3-2 victory. After the final whistle, we celebrate exuberantly with our fans and even after returning to Leverkusen, the evening is far from over. We stop off at a bar and celebrate this wonderful night with the Bayer 04 fans who have joined us. Despite one of my biggest mistakes, the game on 31 January 1986 is one of my favourites I played in for Bayer 04. It was the first time we won a Bundesliga match at FC Köln and our fans were able to dominate the atmosphere at the Müngersdorf Stadium.