Florian Wirtz’s last-minute goal gives Bayer Leverkusen a 3-2 win against Borussia Moenchengladbach in the Bundesliga opener, extending their unbeaten league streak to 35 games.
Bollywood Fever: Florian Wirtz scored a dramatic stoppage-time goal to secure a 3-2 victory for Bayer Leverkusen against Borussia Moenchengladbach in the Bundesliga season opener on Friday.
The win extends Leverkusen’s impressive unbeaten league streak into the new campaign.
Leverkusen was awarded a penalty deep into stoppage time after Ko Itakura fouled substitute Amine Adli.
Wirtz capitalized on the rebound after his initial attempt was saved, clinching the three points for the visitors.
The match began with Granit Xhaka opening the scoring for Leverkusen in the 12th minute. The Swiss midfielder unleashed a powerful strike from outside the box that found the top corner.
Florian Wirtz then doubled Leverkusen’s lead in the 38th minute, scoring on a rebound after Alejandro Grimaldo’s close-range shot was saved by Gladbach keeper Jonas Omlin.
Borussia Moenchengladbach, however, refused to go down without a fight. Defender Nico Elvedi pulled one back for the hosts just before the hour mark, converting from close range after his initial header was blocked by Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky.
Tim Kleindienst then leveled the score five minutes from time, nutmegging Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba.
Despite the comeback, Gladbach’s efforts were undone by Wirtz’s last-gasp heroics. The result means that Leverkusen, who made history last season as the first team to go unbeaten throughout an entire Bundesliga campaign, have now extended their streak to 35 games.
In the history of the Bundesliga, only Bayern Munich (53 games from 2012 to 2014) and Hamburg SV (36 games from 1982 to 1983) have enjoyed longer unbeaten runs across multiple campaigns.
Leverkusen, who recently claimed the German Supercup by defeating VfB Stuttgart on penalties, took an early lead in this match through Xhaka’s stunning strike.
Jeremie Frimpong’s surging run into the box later set up Grimaldo, whose shot was parried by Omlin, only for Wirtz to double the lead on the follow-up.
Gladbach, who narrowly avoided relegation playoffs last season by finishing 14th, showed resilience throughout the game.
Although Tim Kleindienst thought he had pulled one back for the hosts just before halftime with a diving header, his goal was disallowed following a VAR review for a foul.
Gladbach eventually broke through Leverkusen’s defense with Elvedi’s goal, and Kleindienst’s equalizer was confirmed after a VAR review for possible offside.
The game saw a brief interruption in the second half when smoke from pyrotechnics used by fans filled the field, halting play for nearly 10 minutes.
Looking ahead, Bayer Leverkusen will host RB Leipzig on August 31, while Borussia Moenchengladbach travels to face VfL Bochum. Meanwhile, Stuttgart, who finished second last season, will visit Freiburg on Saturday, and Bayern Munich will kick off their campaign against VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday.
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