Florian Wirtz scored a dramatic late winner from a penalty rebound in the 11th minute of added time, securing Bayer Leverkusen a victory in their Bundesliga season opener against Borussia Monchengladbach.
Wirtz quickly followed up after his initial penalty—awarded when Amine Adli was fouled in the box—was saved by Jonas Omlin.
Leverkusen, last season’s unbeaten champions, had earlier squandered a two-goal lead.
This narrow away win comes just days after their German Super Cup victory over Stuttgart, which was decided by a penalty shootout.
In the opening game of the Bundesliga season, Xabi Alonso’s team took an early lead, with former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka scoring a brilliant goal past Omlin just 12 minutes in.
Leverkusen kept up the pressure, with both Victor Boniface and Edmond Tapsoba hitting the woodwork.
Monchengladbach’s defense eventually crumbled again, allowing Wirtz to make it 2-0 by finishing after Alejandro Grimaldo’s shot was blocked.
The hosts thought they had pulled one back before halftime, but Tim Kleindienst’s goal was ruled out for offside after a VAR review.
Monchengladbach did manage to score in the 59th minute when Nico Elvedi headed in after his initial effort was saved by Lukas Hradecky.
It looked like Monchengladbach would salvage a point when Kleindienst equalized in the 85th minute, converting a Kevin Stoger pass. But Wirtz’s last-gasp effort secured the win for Alonso’s side.
