Kampl, the fans and sheer emotion

Some 30 yards away, a black and red sea of fans waited for their hero and they would most gladly have swallowed him up. Kampl and his team-mates "wanted to jump straight in," as Jonathan Tah said. A small fence intervened but did not stop celebrations completely. Perhaps it was the most emotional moment of the first half of the season and proof of how close the Bayer 04 fans and the team are to each other.

That was evident during the whole trip to London. The Werkself wanted to take another step towards qualification for the Round of 16 with one game to go in the group stage of the Champions League and they were supported by over 2,000 fans. The English capital was black and red hours before the kick-off from Buckingham Palace, to the London Eye and Big Ben; the Bayer 04 colours were to be seen everywhere.

First win in London

That enthusiasm paid off. Never before had a Leverkusen team won in the football metropolis of London. Previous visits to Highbury and Stamford Bridge provided atmosphere but the wrong results. On this night it was to be different. The match attracted a record number of fans to the hallowed Wembley Stadium where legends like Geoff Hurst and Bobby Moore wrote their chapter in the annals of English football.

Moore, the captain of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup, is the first thing you see when you emerge from the brick built streets of London surrounding Wembley. Bayer 04 fans making their way from pubs towards the massive stadium saw the statue of Moore at the entrance to the ground. By that point it was clear it was a special night.

Record attendance in England

And the Leverkusen support was not disappointed. 85,512 football fans were at the match and that helped to create a breathtaking atmosphere. Louder than an Airbus taking off from Heathrow Airport but when Kampl had the ball at his feet on 65 minutes you could hear a pin drop. Then it was the turn of the Black and Reds. Everybody in the away section let their emotions rip with Kampl and Co. experiencing a mixture of relief, joy and pride.

The real value of that goal became clear three weeks later. A result in Moscow secured progress to the Round of 16 for the Werkself so that Leverkusen are in the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time in two years. In 2015 Bayer 04 lost out on penalties to Atletico Madrid so there is a score to settle and they can be assured of support from the fans.