Leverkusen’s ‘new DNA’ secures late win in Bundesliga opener

The late objectives simply preserve coming for Bayer Leverkusen.

The defending Bundesliga champions wanted a aim within the eleventh minute of harm time to beat Borussia Monchengladbach 3-2 Friday after giving up a two-goal lead within the opening sport of the Bundesliga season.

Xabi Alonso’s crew went undefeated in each the league and the German Cup final season, partially because of quite a lot of late objectives and comebacks, and it continued in the identical vein on the Borussia-Park. Florian Wirtz noticed his last-gasp penalty saved, however transformed the rebound to safe the win.

It was Bayer Leverkusen’s twelfth game-tying or go-ahead aim in second-half stoppage time in all competitions because the begin of final season, 4 greater than every other crew from Europe’s high 5 leagues in that span.

“Possibly that is our new DNA, for instance that. This isn’t a blot, to imagine till the tip, would not matter how we play, would not matter what occurred within the sport,” midfielder Granit Xhaka advised ESPN afterward.

“Ultimately, the mentality, the standard that we now have reveals another time that we imagine till the tip and we’re completely happy that we take the three factors again residence,” he added.

Alonso additionally put the crew’s behavior for late objectives all the way down to their mindset.

“It is troublesome to clarify why we all the time rating late objectives,” he advised a information convention. “We will not practice that and I can not affect it. It is the mentality of the crew.”

Xhaka had given the guests the lead with a thunderous 25-yard strike within the twelfth minute and Wirtz made it 2-0 within the thirty eighth after Gladbach did not clear their strains.

Leverkusen then hit the woodwork twice, whereas Gladbach had a aim chalked off after a video evaluate simply earlier than half-time.

However Nico Elvedi began the hosts’ comeback after 59 minutes and new signing Tim Kleindienst leveled it up within the eighty fifth.

As so typically with Leverkusen, there was nonetheless time for a ultimate twist.

The guests had been awarded a penalty for a foul within the space deep into stoppage time, and whereas goalkeeper Jonas Omlin saved Wirtz’s spot kick he could not stop final season’s Bundesliga participant of the yr from slotting within the rebound as Leverkusen took their unbeaten run within the league to 35 video games.

“We had the sensation at 2-2 we’re nonetheless within the sport,” Xhaka mentioned. “Monchengladbach had been placing some defensive gamers on so they provide us extra time within the midfield and after we now have the gamers who’ve the standard to attain, to complete the motion, and we did it.”

Alonso, although, noticed room for enchancment as Leverkusen look to defend their title this season.

“It was an intense first Bundesliga sport for us,” he added. “Numerous issues occurred within the second half, it was filled with emotion proper to the tip. We did nicely in lots of phases.

“However we weren’t all the time so compact as we speak, we had been additionally a bit passive in some phases. We’ve got to try this higher. We’ve got to be extra aggressive.”

Play had been briefly halted firstly of the second half after followers lit a number of flares within the stands and a part of the sector was coated in smoke.

Info from The Related Press, Reuters and ESPN Stats & Info contributed to this report.