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 - 01.11.2026
Birthday boy of the month 1: Thomas Hörster turns 70
Thomas Hörster was born in Essen on 27 November 1956. As a child, he took part in high diving and judo, but was also passionate about football. After starting out at Blau-Weiß Holsterhausen-Essen, he moved on to ETB Schwarz-Weiß Essen. As a U19 player, he trained with the senior side for the first time. And at just under 18 years of age, Thommy – as he is known – made his debut in Bundesliga 2. Over two-and-a-half seasons, he made 71 appearances for Schwarz-Weiß Essen.
Show more
Bayer 04 - 01.11.2026
Birthday Boy of the Month 2: Bernd Dreher turns 60
Bernd Dreher was born in Leverkusen on 2 November 1966 and he began playing football at SV Schlebusch at the age of five. At the age of nine, he joined the youth academy at Bayer 04. There, the goalkeeper progressed through all the youth teams and, with the U19s in 1985, he reached the final of the German Championship, that Bayer 04 lost 4-2 to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Show more
Bayer 04 - 01.11.2026
Birthday Boy of the Month 3: Robson Ponte turns 50
Robson Ponte was born on 6 November 1976 in São Paulo. He began his football career in Brazil with CA Juventus. He then played for América FC and Guarani FC. In 1999, he joined Bayer 04. Robson initially played for the Werkself until 2001. He then moved to VfL Wolfsburg on a two-year loan. There, he continued to develop and gained valuable experience in the Bundesliga. In 2003, he returned to Leverkusen, where he particularly showcased his dribbling skills and his ability in attacking midfield. In total, he made 79 appearances for Bayer 04 and scored six goals.
Show more
Bayer 04 - 01.11.2026
Goals of the month: From Hermann to Adli
In this video you can see impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 from the month of November. It's not always about the beauty of the goals, but also a reminder of special games and players.
Show more
Bayer 04 - 01.11.2026
From the archives: 75 years ago – First derby victory
On Sunday, 4 November 1951, the first league derby between Bayer 04 and FC Köln took place. The FC Köln stadium in Müngersdorf was absolutely bursting at the seams for this clash. A veritable invasion of Bayer 04 fans from Leverkusen set off for Cologne by tram and bus. From midday onwards, in addition to the scheduled services, six extra tram services ran at the standard fare from Leverkusen Town Hall to the stadium in Cologne. At the same time, buses operated by Grein ran regularly from Wiesdorf market square to Cologne. In the end, over 5,000 Bayer 04 fans waved their black and red flags in the stands at the FC Köln stadium and got behind their team for ninety minutes.
Show more
