The date is 7 Match 1981. The Bayer 04 team have not for twelve games and are slipping ever closer to the drop zone. Level on points with 1860 Munich, the threat of relegation is looming at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. And now second-placed Bayern Munich are the visitors. Everyone who was there will remember the goals, the first hat-trick for one Bayer 04 player and that was Arne Larsen Ökland. But also our phantom goal in the same match. Watch the video for three minutes of match highlights in the 3-0 home win plus excerpts from a great interview with the star of the match. By the way: An 18-year-old goalkeeper from Berlin came to Leverkusen two days later for a trial training session. His name: Rüdiger Vollborn.







And Bayern Munich once again, 16 years later. Bayer 04 are in the running for the league title in the first year under Christoph Daum. Bayern visit the BayArena as league leaders with a five-point lead so the Werkself are under pressure to perform. The usual front two, Ulf Kirsten and Erik Meijer, are on the bench due to slight knocks. Markus Feldhoff is the only Leverkusen striker and he becomes the matchwinner with three goals. The atmosphere at the stadium is fantastic. And it was before kick-off too when our home end presented the best fan choreography in a German stadium. The video shows highlights of the 5-2 win against Bayern.

Dieter Bast was born in Oberhausen on 28 August 1951. He began playing football in the youth team at DJK Arminia Klosterhardt, a local club in Oberhausen. Whilst training as a toolmaker, he moved to neighbouring club Sterkrade 06/07 to play for their U19s, where he caught the eye of Bundesliga sides Rot-Weiss Essen and Borussia Mönchengladbach. Bast opted for Rot-Weiss and played in the Bundesliga from 1970 onwards. In his very first year, he made 22 appearances as a right winger, scoring three goals. Nevertheless, Essen were unable to avoid relegation.
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José Vítor Roque Júnior was born on 31 August 1976 in Santa Rita do Sapucaí, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. As a youth, he played for São José EC, a club in the east of the state of São Paulo. His professional career began in 1995 with Palmeiras São Paulo. There, Roque Júnior quickly established himself as a key player in the team, making more than 200 appearances and enjoying significant success. With the club, he won the Copa do Brasil in 1998 and the Copa Libertadores in 1999, the South American equivalent of the European Champions League.
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In this video you can see impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 from the month of August. It's not always about the beauty of the goals, but also a reminder of special games and players.
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The Werkself play their first top-flight match in Bayer 04’s history away at Sportfreunde Katernberg. 7,000 spectators turn up at the Am Lindenbruch stadium in that district of Essen. The Katernbergers have transformed the once ‘barren’ pitch into a real gem. On this Sunday afternoon, 19 August 1951, the lush turf provides the perfect conditions for a good game of football.
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Following a thoroughly successful start with a 2–1 home win against VfL Wolfsburg, the Werkself are organising a team event. On Wednesdays, they head to the Nürburgring together and do a few laps at speed. Manager Klaus Toppmöller welcomes this initiative, as it promotes team spirit and integration. During weekly training sessions, the team works extensively on various defensive tactics, as the manager was dissatisfied with his players’ pressing in the final minutes of the match against the Wolves.
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