Matches of the month: Two derbies – top of the table twice
1996 and 2001: The derby games against the neighbours from Cologne from those years evoke positive feelings amongst Bayer 04 fans.
sold-out UHS and triple whammy
Bayer 04 and FC Köln meet in the derby in front of a full house at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium on 30 November 1996. The 0-0 scoreline at half-time is flattering to FC Köln with the hosts having a chances ratio of 6 to 1. But the pressure from the Werkself is immense after the restart.
Within 20 minutes they tear apart the Köln defence and go 3-0 up with goals from Markus Happe, Ulf Kirsten and Paulo Sergio (Goal of the Month with a volley). The match ends in a deserved 4-2 victory and Bayer 04 go top the table for the first time in the season on matchday 16 after a 1-1 draw between Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart.
catch up in cologne and game turned round
Five years later: same opponent, different venue and completely different situation. Bayer 04 are second in the Bundesliga with 30 points just one behind Bayern Munich. The neighbours from Cologne are 16th on eight points and have great worries. 41,000 spectators come to the stadium in Müngersdorf including at least 5,000 from Leverkusen.
FC Köln put a brave fight and take a 1-0 lead with a man down on 57 minutes. But Bayer 04 soon hit back – the equaliser is scored by Ulf Kirsten six minutes later. Oliver Neuville nets the winner for the visitors at 2-1 on 72 minutes. The Werkself go top because league leaders Bayern Munich lose 1-0 at Werder Bremen.
Related News
Bayer 04 - 01.08.2025
History: 75 years ago – The 1950/51 season (August)
Bayer 04 started the new season on 20 July 1950. To the applause from almost 2,000 spectators, the Werkself stepped onto the pitch at the Am Stadtpark stadium and the season target was clear to the supporters: finally achieve promotion to the Oberliga West. Under the direction of new coach Raymond Schwab, who brought one of his Essen players with him in the shape of Karl-Heinz Spikofski, the team did a couple of laps. Coach Schwab gave a speech in front of all the fans where he clearly imparted his request for calm in the stands and he said he hated nothing more than heckling or laughing when mistakes are made. He hoped the Bayer 04 supporters would follow his advice.
Show more
Bayer 04 - 01.08.2025
Birthday boy of the month I: Horst Knauf turns 65
Horst Knauf was born in Cologne on 16 August 1960. As a teenager he played for PSV Köln before signing for the Bayer 04 Leverkusen U19s as a talented midfielder in 1976. He made the move up from the second team to the Bundesliga squad in 1980. Over the following three years he played 39 Bundesliga games and scored two goals. Above all in the difficult 1981/82 season for the Werkself with the play-off games against Kickers Offenbach, he played a big part in saving Bayer 04 with 21 appearances. But under the new coach Dettmar Cramer he rarely made a start and he decided to move on.
Show more
Bayer 04 - 01.08.2025
Birthday boy of the month II: Holger Aden turns 60
Holger Aden was born in Hamburg on 25 August 1965. He learned all about playing football and, above all, scoring goals at the two Hamburg clubs Niendorfer TSV and TSV DuWo 08 Hamburg. After progression from the youth teams, he played for other Hamburg clubs. One after the other he appeared for Concordia Hamburg, Altona 93 and SC Norderstedt. The centre-forward regularly found the back of the opposition net. He scored 22 goals for SC Norderstedt in the 1988/89 season.
Show more
Bayer 04 - 01.08.2025
Legends: Michael Ballack, the Capitano
Michael Ballack was born in Görlitz in the GDR on 26 September 1976. He displayed his talent for football at a young age. After his family moved to Karl-Marx-Stadt, now called Chemnitz, he started playing for BSG Motor ‘Fritz Heckert’ Karl-Marx-Stadt where he constantly continued to develop his ability on the pitch. From year seven he went to the children and youth sports college and there he received systematic support in sport that led, against the background of his increasing ability, to a move to FC Karl-Marx-Stadt. At the age of 16, he had to take a six-month break due to growing pains, but then there was no stopping Michael after that.
Show more
Bayer 04 - 01.08.2025
Goals of the month: From Kießling to Ökland
In this video you can watch impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 in the month of August. It is not always about the beauty of the goals but also about remembering special games and players.
Show more
