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.
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.
Zoltan Sebescen was born on 1 October 1975 in Ehingen and he started playing football as a child. His talent stood out early on and he was accepted into the youth section at Stuttgarter Kickers in 1982. There he progressed through all the youth teams and continued to develop. His breakthrough in the men's game came in the mid-1990s, when he moved up to the Kickers first team squad. With his speed, dynamism and attacking drive, he soon made a name for himself beyond the region. He and his team were promoted from the Regional League South to Bundesliga 2 in 1996 and stayed in the league with Stuttgart for three years.
Show moreJens Nowotny was born on 11 January 1974 in Malsch, Baden-Württemberg. As a youngster, he played for SV Spielberg and Germania Friedrichstal and later joined the youth section at Karlsruher SC. As a 15-year-old, he became an integral part of the DFB national youth set-up and played for all of the Germany junior teams. One highlight was an U15 international against England at Wembley.
Show moreIt is Tuesday, 20 October 2015 - a Champions League night at the BayArena. The visitors: AS Roma. What awaits the spectators is a memorable football match full of drama, speed and emotion. The Werkself get off to a flying start and literally overrun the slightly favoured Italians in the early stages. The scoreline was 2-0 after just twenty minutes - both goals were scored by Mexico international Chicharito. Bayer 04 put the visitors under constant pressure with their aggressive pressing and bold attacking play and even had a chance to make it 3-0. Then the AS Roma captain Daniele De Rossi brought his team back into the game with a brace making it 2-2 at half-time.
Show moreIn the video you can see impressive and important goals in Bayer 04 history from the month of October. It's not always about the beauty of the goals, but also a reminder of special games and players.
Show moreOn 23 October 1960, a highly anticipated local derby took place in the DFB Pokal, which the team had to qualify for via the regional association cup competitions at the time: SV Schlebusch hosted the Werkself from Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Around 2,000 spectators flocked to the "Am Bühl" stadium to watch the game kicking off at 3 pm.
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