Matches of the month: Two emphatic victories
Convincing wins against the champions of Germany in 1992+ the league leaders five years later – the matches of the month in August.
It's a Tuesday night on 25 August 1992: The champions of Germany VfB Stuttgart visit the Ulrich Haberland Stadium on the third matchday of the season. After two 1-1 draws on the first two matchdays at home against newly promoted FC Saarbrücken and away to Werder Bremen (the goalscorer in both games: Andreas Thom) there was a change of fortune in front of a crowd of 15,000. And what a change it was.
The scoreline is 2-0 after five minutes and the brace was netted by: Andreas Thom. In the second half, he makes it 3-0 at the end of a counter-attack and up to this day he holds the record for scoring the first five goals in a season. Joel Pohjanpalo came close to Andi Thom's record with four goals in the first two matchdays in the 2016/17 season. The substitute Jupp Nehl scores the fourth goal to seal a successful start to the season.
The starting eleven: Vollborn – Wörns, Foda, Kree, Fischer, Scholz, Lupescu (Radschuweit 58’), Hapal (Nehl 64’), von Ahlen, Kirsten, Thom
Daum team crushes league leaders
There was a mixed start to the season five years later: A defeat at Schalke and the hard-fought home win against Bochum was followed by another away defeat in Stuttgart. 13 August brings the first Champions League qualifier against Dynamo Tbilisi that ends in a brilliant 6-1 win for Bayer 04. The next Bundesliga match is played on 23 August.
The current league leaders Karlsruher SC are the visitors and they take the lead on four minutes from a freekick by World Cup winner Thomas Häßler. And then? Bayer 04 reacts as so often under coach Christoph Daum: with furious attacks and incredible energy. The Werkself lead to-one at half-time thanks to goals from Erik Meijer and Niko Kovac and Bayer 04 are unstoppable in the second 45. Ulf Kirsten with two goals, Hans-Peter Lehnhoff and Paulo Rink score to make it 6-1 and the league leaders travel back to Baden after a heavy defeat.
The Bayer 04 line-up: Heinen – Wörns, Je. Nowotny, Happe, Lehnhoff (Emerson 74’), N. Kovac (R. Kovac 88’), Ramelow, Beinlich, Lottner, Meijer, Kirsten (Rink 60’)
Related News
Bayer 04 - 01.09.2025
Birthday boy of the month I: Wolfgang ‘Wolle’ Vöge turns 70
Wolfgang Vöge was born on 15 September 1955 in Ahlen, Westphalia and he was the fourth of seven children of a miner. His father, Erich Vöge, was a football referee as well. At an early age, Wolle, as he was called by his friends and teammates, developed a great passion for football and was an enthusiastic fan of BVB. His first success in football was achieved in the amateur game at his hometown club of SV Ahlen. He scored 26 goals in the first season and he came to the attention of scouts. That led to his move to Borussia Dortmund in 1975.
Show more
Bayer 04 - 01.09.2025
Birthday boy of the month III: Andreas ‘Andi’ Thom turns 60
Andreas Thom was born on 7 September 1965 in Rüdersdorf near Berlin in Brandenburg. Andreas displayed an exceptional talent on the ball even as a child. Early on, he joined the youth section at BFC Dynamo Berlin, one of the leading football clubs in the German Democratic Republic. There he received targeted, performance-oriented training as part of the GDR sports system. His talent, his vision and his technique led him to make his debut in the first team at BFC Dynamo at the age of 17.
Show more
Bayer 04 - 01.09.2025
Birthday boy of the month II: Jens ‘Melle’ Melzig turns 60
Jens Melzig was born in Cottbus on 28 September 1965. Melle, as he was called at Leverkusen, started his playing career at his hometown club Energie Cottbus. As a young player there he soon stood out thanks to his strength in challenges and his ability to read the game. He was in the Energie Cottbus first team in 1984 and he played for the club in the GDR league and the Oberliga. With 144 appearances and twelve goals he became one of the big players in defence. He made a major contribution to the club during this period – as a strong-tackling central defender who also displayed leadership qualities.
Show more
Bayer 04 - 01.09.2025
Legends: Lucio, the Brazilian elemental force
Lucio, full name Lucimar Ferreira da Silva, was born on 8 May 1978 in Planaltina, a suburb of the Brazilian capital Brasília. He showed his passion for football even as a child. On the dusty streets of his neighbourhood he spent hours chasing the ball – often in bare feet like many Brazilian children. Despite the simple conditions he grew up in, his family always supported his dream of one day becoming a great football player. He made his first steps in club football at small local clubs before moving onto the youth set-up at the club Guará and later he singed for the big club Internacional Porto Alegre. Bayer 04 signed the internationally completely unknown defender from there in January 2000.
Show more
Bayer 04 - 01.09.2025
Goals of the month: From Ökland to Mehmedi
In this video you can watch impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 in the month of September. It is not always about the beauty of the goals but also about remembering special games and players.
Show more
