Florian Wirtz scored a dramatic winner from a penalty rebound in the 11th minute of stoppage time, securing Bayer Leverkusen’s victory against Borussia Monchengladbach as they kicked off their Bundesliga title defense.
Wirtz converted after his initial penalty, awarded for a foul on Amine Adli, was saved by Jonas Omlin, but he quickly followed up to score on the rebound.
This late winner came after Leverkusen, who went unbeaten to win the league last season, had seen their two-goal lead slip away.
The victory away from home follows Leverkusen’s German Super Cup triumph over Stuttgart on penalties just a day earlier.
In what was the opening game of the Bundesliga season, Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen took the lead just 12 minutes in, with former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka firing a superb strike past Omlin.
Leverkusen continued to apply pressure, with both Victor Boniface and Edmond Tapsoba hitting the woodwork.
Monchengladbach’s defense eventually broke down again as Wirtz made it 2-0, scoring after Alejandro Grimaldo’s shot was blocked.
Monchengladbach thought they had pulled one back before halftime, but Tim Kleindienst’s goal was ruled out for offside by the video assistant referee.
They did manage to reduce the deficit in the 59th minute when Nico Elvedi headed past Lukas Hradecky after the Finnish goalkeeper initially saved his effort.
Monchengladbach looked set to secure a point when Kleindienst leveled the match in the 85th minute, tapping in a pass from Kevin Stoger. However, Wirtz’s last-minute heroics ensured Alonso’s team took all three points.