Berlin: Florian Wirtz’s late strike gave Bayer Leverkusen a 3-2 win over Borussia Monchengladbach as the 62nd Bundesliga season opened on Friday.
The titleholders got off to a fairytale start when Granit Xhaka pounced on a clearance to fire into the top left-hand corner from 20 meters after just 12 minutes.
Monchengladbach responded almost immediately, but Rocco Reitz couldn’t beat custodian Lukas Hradecky from a tight angle, Xinhua news agency reported.
However, the Werkself remained dangerous and hit the woodwork twice in quick succession, with Victor Boniface hitting the crossbar on a counterattack before Edmond Tapsoba’s 25-meter effort was saved by the top corner on 20 minutes.
Monchengladbach had another promising chance on the half-hour mark when Tim Kleindienst’s shot from 17 meters went just wide.
At the other end of the pitch, however, Alejandro Grimaldo’s shot was parried into the path of Wirtz, who slotted home from close range in the 38th minute.
Monchengladbach halved the deficit on the hour mark when Leverkusen couldn’t clear the ball out of their area and Nico Elvedi was able to poke home.
It looked as if Leverkusen would settle for a 2-1 win, but Monchengladbach restored parity in the 85th minute when Kleindienst danced through the penalty area before slotting the ball past Hradecky.
Leverkusen pushed for the win and were awarded a late penalty when Ko Itakura brought down Amine Adil in the area. Wirtz saw his initial effort saved by goalkeeper Jonas Omlin, but his follow-up shot found the back of the net to make it 3-2 in the dying minutes.
“We knew that a two-goal lead would not be enough, and we were warned at the break. It is only the beginning of the season, and we still must get into the rhythm,” said Xhaka.
On Saturday, Leipzig host Bochum, Hoffenheim face Holstein Kiel, Freiburg see Stuttgart, Augsburg meet Werder Bremen, Mainz clash with Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund encounter Eintracht Frankfurt.
–IANS
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