Yes, I'd like to see videos dispalyed.
The next day we had a light training session at a Hertha ground on Siebenendenweg in Zehlendorf. However, nobody knew about it and the gates were locked. There was only one alternative: climb and jump over the gate. We were lucky nobody was injured.
When we woke up the next morning on the day of the match it felt like the temperature had dropped by 20 degrees and it was raining. The many Bayer 04 fans, who set off to Berlin on the matchday from Leverkusen in bright sunshine and high temperatures by bus, car or on special trains, were in for a chilly surprise on arrival. And nobody was prepared for rain. Bayer 04 general manager Reiner Calmund reacted immediately. He organised 10,000 red cagoules and distributed them to the Bayer fans.
Coach Dragoslav Stepanovic set out the approach to the game in a final pre-match meeting. We wanted to play with focus, commitment and pressure. Don't give anything away and take our chances.
There was great tension in the bus on the way to the match. Everybody is self-absorbed and focus on their job. It's the same in the dressing room until the Hertha lads arrived in the dressing room next door. Loud music booms out from a music system. "Eye Of The Tiger" by the group Survivor from the Rocky film is ringing in our ears but does not disturb our preparations. As the Women's final is being played, we go to warm up on the Mayfeld. With studs on asphalt, through loads of people and back again after warming up. But there weren't any comments or at least I didn't hear them because I was focused on the game.
We took control from the start to non-stop whistles from 60,000 Berliners. As Hertha rarely got the ball to launch their own attacks, the whistles formed a constant sound in the stadium. The scoreline at half-time was 0-0 but that does not put us off at all. We carried out the orders of the coach to not give anything away and we created one or two slight chances.
The breakthrough comes on 77 minutes. From a Pavel Hapal cross, Ulf Kirsten rises highest to head home the only goal of the game. There is boundless celebration at the final whistle. Basically we only achieved what everybody expected of us but it was a big relief for us to have deservedly won the cup even if the results was not so emphatic.
When the cup was presented, ARD just switched over to show the Tagesschau news programme. It was similar in the evening with the Aktuelles Sportstudio on ZDF. Only the Bayer 04 fans are happy like us and the same on the next day at the town hall. After our own party in the evening and little sleep, we flew to Cologne the next morning. From there we went by bus to the town hall in Leverkusen to be welcomed by a crowd of 5,000 Bayer 04 fans. Some of them had been in the stadium the day before and had travelled through the night.
It was my second title with my Bayer but also unfortunately the last one. It's time for another one again!
A longer report on the cup triumph in 1993 (in German) is in a special edition of the Werkself Magazine available HERE.
Francoaldo Sena de Souza, known as Franca, was born on 2 March 1976 in Codó in north-eastern Brazil and is one of the best-known Brazilian football players of the late 1990s and early 2000s. His exceptional talent became apparent early on. He began his career at smaller Brazilian clubs before moving to the tradition-steeped São Paulo FC in 1996. There, Franca quickly developed into one of the most dangerous strikers in the league. His technique, goal-scoring instinct and agility delighted fans and pundits alike, and he scored numerous goals for the club over the years.
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Lars Bender was born on 27 April 1989 in Rosenheim and grew up with his twin brother Sven in a football-loving family. They began playing football in Brannenburg, a small community near Rosenheim. The twins joined Unterhaching to play for the U11 side, followed by a move to the U14s at 1860 Munich. There, Lars and Sven became German champions with the U17s, skipped the Lion's U19s and were directly part of the 1860 Munich first and second team squads.
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In this video you can see impressive and important goals in Bayer 04 history from the month of March . It's not always about the beauty of the goals, but also a reminder of special games and players.
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Bayer 04 had their backs to the wall after a 3-1 defeat in a rearranged match at FC Kaiserslautern on 17 March 1981. After a throw-in, which the linesman clearly indicated in favour of the Werkself, but which the Lauter team quickly took and the weak referee did not intervene, a dubious penalty was awarded. Lauter took advantage of this to make it 2-1 in the 84th minute. Finally, a shot by the home side, which did not cross the line, made it 3-1 and Bayer 04 had to go home from Betzenberg without any points.
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It was 4 March 1951 and Bayer 04 were five points ahead going into the decisive home game against second-placed SSV Wuppertal, who would merge with TSG Vohwinkel 80 to form Wuppertaler SV three years later. Bayer 04 press officer Heinz Nelles predicted a big matchday at the sports ground at the Stadtpark and recommends Bayer 04 fans to buy their tickets in advance from the usual ticket outlets, especially from Peter Haas at the Trinkhalle Rathaus. After a four-week injury lay-off, centre-forward Emil ‘Bubi’ Becks will be back for the first time. And when the gates to the Stadtpark are opened on Sunday, the spectators stream into the stadium. The windows of the houses on the neighbouring Walter-Nernst-Straße are also packed.
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