Match of the month: 40 years ago – Power struggle on the Rhine

Matchday four in the 1985/86 season brought a meeting of the two local rivals at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. Bayer 04 made a good start with three points after the first two games against promoted Hannover 96 and FC Saarbrücken. The game on matchday three against Hamburg SV was postponed to 8 October at the requested the opponents after they received a lucrative financial offer from Barcelona to take part in an international tournament. FC Köln are behind the Werkself ahead of matchday four with a disappointing three points out of six.

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Bayer 04 had a new look under new coach Erich Ribbeck. Without new signings, the former coach of the Germany Olympic team turned the available players into an homogenous, attacking team. For the first time, we were on equal terms with FC Köln although the first Bundesliga victory came in December 1983.

feisty challenges and exciting goalmouth action

A crowd of 15,000, including some 6,000 from Cologne, were on the edge of their seats from the start to and over 90 minutes. As in recent matches, the Werkself started in a dominant an attacking mood. The goal of Germany keeper Toni Schumacher, who was brilliantly guarding it, was subject to chance after chance for Bayer 04. Although it was not the finest football for large parts of the game the match compensated for that with feisty challenges and lots of thrilling goalmouth action. Falco Götz scored the deserved opening goal on 38 minutes. That was the scoreline at half-time.

Köln put their foot on the gas in the second 45 and Bayer 04 suffered from the high tempo in the first half. Nevertheless, the Werkself created chances to double the lead. But on 83 minutes, FC Köln, who missed several chances before or were denied by Bayer 04 keeper Rüdiger Vollborn, netted a not undeserved leveller at 1-1 scored by a certain Hans-Peter Lehnhoff. That was the final result although Christian Schreier missed a great chance to make it 2-1 on 86 minutes or rather Toni Schumacher made a world-class reflex save.

For everybody of a nostalgic disposition here are the two line-ups:

Bayer 04: Vollborn – Zanter (Giske 46'), Hörster, A. Reinhardt, Hinterberger, Götz (Zechel 75'), Schreier, Röber, Patzke, Cha, Waas

Köln: Schumacher – Prestin, van de Korput, Steiner (Dickel 46'), Pisanti (Hartwig 65'), Lehnhoff, Geils, Hönerbach, Geilenkirchen, Engels, Littbarski