Matches of the month: Two terrific second halves
A clash with the ‘Cogs’ in the middle of the 1990s and a meeting with VfB five years later – the Werkself won both games thanks to staying power.
It is Friday, 4 October 1996. A night match, always special at the old Ulrich Haberland Stadium. Hansa Rostock are the visitors and they take the lead on eight minutes through Stefan ‘Paule’ Beinlich. The Bayer team play with aggression but without any real penetration. Rostock are shaken just before half-time when the Rostock player André Hofschneider is sent off. Just before and after the break, Paulo Sergio turns the game round to put the Werkself 2-1 up. Markus Feldhoff and Erik Meijer score to make it 4-1.
The Rostock coach Frank Pagelsdorf complains about his players being “hunted down”. Bayer 04 coach Christoph Daum replies: “We hunt down every opponent.” And general manager Reiner Calmund, confronted with accusations, counters curtly: “Haven’t we played long enough here.” The new Bayer 04 pleases everyone, both players and fans, and second spot in the table shows the quality of the Werkself.
against Stuttgart: three goals in the second half
Five years later, 20 October 2001: another opponent, but almost the same course of the game fast. VfB Stuttgart visit the BayArena on matchday 10 and they take the lead on nine minutes with a goal scored by Ganea. The leveller comes before half-time from a somewhat fortunate free kick by Zé Roberto. The Werkself overrun the Swabians in the second half and win the match 4-1 with additional goals from Boris Zivkovic, Lucio and the substitute Dimitar Berbatov.
For the first time in that season, coach Klaus Toppmöller cherishes thoughts of winning the title. The way the Bayer 04 group play provides additional hope.
HERE are TV highlights of the clash with VfB.
Related News
Bayer 04 - 01.07.2026
Birthday Boy of the Month 1: Minas Hantzidis turns 60
Minas Hantzidis was born on 4 July 1966 in Kettwig, near Essen, and he grew up in Germany. He developed a passion for football at a young age and, whilst still a youth player, moved from Wuppertaler SV to Bayer 04. The attacking and goal-scoring midfielder then made a name for himself in his first senior season at Bayer 04. In the reserve team, he scored goal after goal in the first half of the season, soon began training with the first team and was brought on as a substitute for the first time by manager Erich Ribbeck on 22 November 1985 in a home match against Bayern Munich.
Show more
Bayer 04 - 01.07.2026
Birthday Boy of the Month 2: Sascha Dum turns 40
Sascha was born on 3 July 1986 in Leverkusen. He is the son of former Bundesliga 2 player Manfred Dum, who mainly scored goals for Union Solingen but also played for FC Saarbrücken, SC Freiburg and Wuppertaler SV. Sascha started playing for the youth teams at HSV Langenfeld at an early age. There, he caught the eye of scouts from Bayer 04 and joined the club at a young age. Following a growth spurt in the U15 team, which forced him to take a nine-month break, the left-footed player finally had the ideal conditions to establish himself in the Bayer 04 youth ranks. Even as an U17 player, he made the leap into the U19 team. Blessed with immense pace, Sascha primarily played in attacking midfield. Not the most technically gifted, but possessing a powerful shot, he found himself training with the first team in the summer of 2005 alongside Gonzalo Castro, while he was still a U19 player.
Show more
Bayer 04 - 01.07.2026
From the archives: 50 years ago – A pre-season debacle
The Werkself could not have hoped for a better start to the Bundesliga 2 North season in 1976/77. At the end of a week-long training camp in Quickborn, Schleswig-Holstein, coach Willibert Kremer’s side secured two convincing victories over BSC Brunsbüttel (5–0) and TuS Holstein Quickborn (6–0). Following this flying start, Bayer 04 faced a considerably tougher challenge on 23 July 1976 at 19:30 CEST at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium against Bundesliga side Karlsruher SC.
Show more
Bayer 04 - 01.07.2026
History: 25 years ago – The 2001/02 treble runners-up season (July)
On 27 June 2001, new head coach Klaus Toppmöller and his assistant Peter Hermann led the Werkself out of the changing rooms for their first training session. Joining them as they stepped onto the pitch at training ground 1 were the four new signings: Hans Jörg Butt, Yildiray Bastürk (with special permission from VfL Bochum, as Bayer 04 and VfL had not yet agreed on a transfer fee), Zoltan Sebescen and Michael Zepek, the record holder for appearances for the youth national team.
Show more
Bayer 04 - 01.06.2026
Birthday boy of the month: Hans Sarpei turns 50
Hans Sarpei was born on 28 June 1976 in Tema, Ghana, and came to Germany with his parents at the age of three, where he grew up in Cologne. Even before he was born, his mother and father worked in Hamburg in the import-export sector. There they met an older man who introduced them to German culture and supported them. Out of gratitude, Hans was later given his first name, although this man died before he was born. Hans comes from a sporting family; his older brother Edward and his nephews Hans Nunoo Sarpei and Kingsley Sarpei were or are also professional footballers.
Show more
