September 13, (THEWILL) — Kasper Hjulmand began his tenure with Bayer Leverkusen in victorious fashion, overseeing a 3-1 triumph against Eintracht Frankfurt at the BayArena.
The new manager watched his side take early control through Alejandro Grimaldo’s spectacular free-kick from 25 yards, which deflected off goalkeeper Michael Zetterer before finding the net after just 10 minutes.
The home side pressed their advantage throughout the opening period, with Nathan Tella, Jarell Quansah, Aleix Garcia, and Loic Bade all testing the Frankfurt defence.
Patrik Schick converted from the penalty spot during first-half stoppage time after Tella was fouled by Robin Koch, giving Leverkusen a commanding two-goal cushion at the interval.
Frankfurt responded positively after the break when 19-year-old Can Uzun reduced the deficit six minutes into the second half.
The midfielder capitalised on poor defensive clearing from a corner situation, his deflected volley beating Mark Flekken despite the goalkeeper’s efforts to keep the ball out.
The match took a dramatic turn when Robert Andrich received his second booking for a late challenge on Ritsu Doan near the hour mark, leaving Leverkusen with 10 men.
Frankfurt nearly equalised immediately afterwards when Nnamdi Collins struck the woodwork, while substitute Ezequiel Fernandez also saw red later in the proceedings.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Leverkusen managed to seal victory through Grimaldo’s second goal eight minutes into added time.
The Spanish defender’s late strike ensured Hjulmand’s first match in charge ended with maximum points against a Frankfurt side that had been enjoying good form before this encounter.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
