#RoadtoGlasgow – OnThisDay: Bayer 04 vs Manchester United 1-1

Situation

The Werkself had experienced an intoxicating season in all three competitions. And now, at the end of April, the players, management and fans were on an emotional rollercoaster with ultimate happiness and deepest sadness just days apart. On 24 April, Bayer 04 thrilled the whole of Europe with a fantastic performance in a 2-2 draw against Manchester United at the 'Theatre of Dreams'. 67 hours later and the same team were in a nightmare as they lost 1-0 away to FC Nürnberg in the Bundesliga thereby losing their grip on the title. Borussia Dortmund went top of the table on matchday 33 after Bayer 04 had been in top spot for over two months. Lifting the title was no longer in the hands of the Toppmöller team even with a win against Hertha Berlin on the final matchday, leaving them to rely on other results. "It really, really hurts," admitted Reiner Calmund close to tears. "We're up against the ropes on our last legs," said the Bayer 04 general manager three days before the semi-final second leg against Manchester United at the BayArena. Now it was all about showing true colours and mobilising final reserves of strength for the run-in. "For me, personalities are those players who always get back up after setbacks," declared Klaus Toppmöller as he looked to inspire his team ahead of the second leg against "perhaps the best club side in the world."

Manchester United beat Ipswich town 1-0 in the Premier League at the weekend with more or less a reserve side and they still had hopes of holding on to their title. After the 2-2 draw against Bayer 04 at Old Trafford, Sir Alex Ferguson sounded a warning to Leverkusen: "They've already celebrated but we will do much better over there." The Manchester United delegation included English football legend Sir Bobby Charlton. The match was watched worldwide and 300 members of the media were accredited for the game at the BayArena, which is why the Haberland Hall next the stadium was used for the press conferences. Toppi had a full squad to choose from but Michael Ballack (bruised foot) and Jens Nowotny (back pain) were not fully fit for the match.

The match

Both teams started with just one striker. Oliver Neuville started up front for Bayer 04 in place of Dimitar Berbatov in spite of a damaged toe. For the Red Devils, Ruud van Nistelrooy started in attack without teammate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Both sides were cautious in the opening stages of the game. However, Bayer 04 suffered an early setback: Jens Nowotny suffered a torn cruciate in a challenge with van Nistelrooy on ten minutes and he was replaced by Zoltan Sebescen. Shortly after that came the first big chance for the hosts when Bernd Schneider was unlucky to hit the woodwork from 18 yards out (14'). Manchester United stood firm and Ze Roberto cleared a Laurent Blanc header off the line with Jörg Butt already beaten (19'). The game developed into an evenly balanced encounter of high tactical and technical quality. Roy Keane opened the scoring for United with an assist from van Nistelrooy (28'). The Werkself now had to come back from behind against Manchester United for a third time. They did that with a courageous performance that saw Oliver Neuville receive the ball from Yildiray Bastürk on the edge of the box and he hammered it into the net under the bar. The equaliser sent the BayArena crowd wild (45').

Bayer 04 were initially on top in the second half with one attack after the next but they failed to create any clear-cut opportunities. It was annoying that Ze Roberto picked up an unnecessary yellow card for dissent (67') that meant he would be suspended for a possible final. Giggs and Co. upped the pressure in the closing stages. Bayer 04 demonstrated outstanding resistance and gave their all to prevent the visitors scoring a second goal. There was another shock just before the final whistle: After Jörg Butt failed to punch the ball away far enough, Diego Forlan was presented with a shot on an open goal from 17 yards out but Diego Placente raced in to head the ball off the line (89'). Then came the final whistle and there was no limit to the celebrations at the BayArena. The stadium was a madhouse. Bayer 04 were through to the final of the UEFA Champions League.

Moments of the match

First the two setbacks: Nowotny off with a torn cruciate and the English team took the lead through Keane – it did not look good for Bayer 04 on the half-hour mark. But that was followed by three moments that are etched in the collective memory of the fans: the powerful placed shot from Oliver Neuville to make it 1-1, the heroic clearance from Diego Placente to keep out a shot from Forlan and the final whistle to seal progress to the Champions League final. All three incidents aroused incredible celebrations. The best image of the night came after the game when the whole team were dancing in the centre circle: 15 hopping men and Klaus Toppmöller in the middle who jumped highest.

Man of the match

It would have been different without him: The score remained at 1-1 as Diego Placente cleared Forlan's shot off the line on 89 minutes. And that was not the only incident where the Argentinian was on top of his game. Placente once again produced a technical and tactical master performance against United that was crowned by his clearance late-on.

Reaction

"Everybody was knackered at the end but the prospect of being in the final gave us an extra boost," beamed Yildiray Bastürk. "We showed in Manchester that we could fight and we also demonstrated our character in the second leg." Michael Ballack also said: "Everybody was completely exhausted in the dressing room after the game. In the end it was just a question of determination." It was clear to Reiner Calmund given the incredible exertions of all the players: "We've given our last drop of energy to get to the final." Coach class Klaus Toppmöller took a similar view: "The lads gave their all. I'm over the moon, a dream has come true." Meinolf Sprink, back then the sporting manager at Bayer AG, rejoiced: "It's a moment never to be forgotten." And Wolfgang Clement, the then Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia, was also happy for Bayer 04: "I'm overjoyed. It's a great event for the region." In contrast, the Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson was deeply disappointed: "My team, who play the best football in England, has only lost twice in the 16 Champions League games this season but we are not in the final," said the Glaswegian who did have praise for Bayer 04: "Leverkusen are a good team and have a real chance against Real in the final."

What the papers say

The Rheinische Post wrote after the 1-1 draw: "The Leverkusen football fairy tale has come true.… And although Man United declared a state of siege at times, the Leverkusen goal was rarely under serious threat. Bayer mounted an heroic defence." Kicker also highlighted the "exemplary fighting spirit" and declared: Bayer 04 not undeservedly go through to the final of the Champions League after an impressive performance in a highly exciting semi-final." The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger witnessed "a fantastic clash between Leverkusen and Manchester United over 90 minutes." And the international media also praised the Werkself performance. The Spanish journal Marca reported: "The Germans were better and are thereby deserved to be in the final. Leverkusen are currently the team with the best form in Europe." The Italian La Gazzetta dello Sport: "Bayer stood like a beleaguered boxer in the corner. But Man United were unable to beat that team."

Match stats

Bayer 04: Butt – Zivkovic, Lucio, Nowotny (Sebescen 10’), Placente – Schneider, Ballack, Ramelow, Bastürk (Vranjes 79’), Ze Roberto – Neuville (Berbatov 85’)

Manchester United: Barthez – Brown (Forlan 81’), Silvestre, Johnsen (Irwin 61’) – Scholes, Keane, Butt, Veron, Giggs – van Nistelrooy

Goals: 0-1 Keane (28’), 1-1 Neuville (45’)

Booked: Ze Roberto – Butt, Scholes, Irwin, Barthez

Chances: 4-7

Shots: 12:12; On target: 6-6

Corners: 4-7

Referee: Kim Milton Nielsen (Denmark)

Attendance: 22,500 (sold out)

Matchday images

Support

The song by The Toten Hosen, ‘Steh auf, wenn du am Boden bist’ ('Get up if you're on the deck') blared out from the stadium loudspeakers ahead of the kick-off and that was a motto for the evening that the Werkself took to heart in the game. The fans were also the twelfth man with their support for the team, having forgiven the players after the 1-0 defeat in Nuremberg, backing Ballack and Co. with a large number of banners ('Heads up, we're proud of you!').

There was also huge interest in the semi-final second leg in England. Over 2,000 Red Double fans travelled to Germany including several hundred without tickets. They were ready for that in Leverkusen: with increased numbers of police, initial checks in an extended area around the BayArena and a screen was erected at the Haberland Stadium for the fans without tickets to follow the game. In the end it was only the Bayer fans who celebrated. And they did that in style. The Leverkusen City Councillor Gerd Wölwer of the Greens took off his shirt and vest after the game and "danced about bare-chested" as the Rheinische Post reported. "But the politician, co-founder of the first Bayer 04 Fan club (1976) was in good and happy company at the BayArena thanks to the Toppmöller team."

State of play

Klaus Toppmöller flew out to Madrid the day after the semi-final to watch his team's opponents in the Champions League final on 15 May 2002 in Glasgow play at the Bernabeu Stadium. Real Madrid had put themselves in an outstanding situation with a 2-0 win against Barcelona. In the second leg, Toppi saw an unremarkable 1-1 draw between Real and Barca that saw the Madrid team go through to the final. Role scored the opener for the hosts and the equaliser after the break came from an own goal from Helguera.

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