August 24, (THEWILL) – Bayer Leverkusen began their Bundesliga title defence with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Borussia Moenchengladbach on Friday. Florian Wirtz scored the winning goal in the 10th minute of stoppage time, sealing another hard-fought win for Xabi Alonso’s side.
Leverkusen took a commanding 2-0 lead in the first half through goals from Granit Xhaka and Wirtz. However, Gladbach fought back after the break, with Nico Elvedi reducing the deficit before Tim Kleindienst equalised in the 85th minute.
The match seemed destined for a draw until Ko Itakura fouled Amine Adli in the box deep into added time. Wirtz’s initial penalty was saved, but he managed to score from the rebound, extending Leverkusen’s reputation for late heroics from their unbeaten 2023/2024 campaign.
This victory follows Leverkusen’s German Supercup win against Stuttgart last weekend, continuing their strong form from the previous season. For Gladbach, the defeat compounds their struggles, having narrowly avoided relegation last term and losing star midfielder Manu Kone before kick-off due to an impending transfer.
The match marked the first Bundesliga opener since 2013 without Bayern Munich featuring as defending champions. Leverkusen’s late win sets the stage for what promises to be another exciting title race in the 2024/2025 season.
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.
