🔥 What a way to start the season! Bayer 04 Leverkusen kicked off their Bundesliga title defense with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach on Friday night. 🏆⚽
The match at Borussia-Park was nothing short of a rollercoaster. 🎢 Leverkusen, who went undefeated in both the league and the DFB-Pokal last season, showed their resilience once again. The defending champions needed a goal in the 11th minute of injury time to seal the win! ⏱️😱
It all started with Granit Xhaka unleashing a thunderous strike in the 12th minute to put Leverkusen ahead. 💥 Florian Wirtz doubled the lead in the 38th minute after Borussia failed to clear their lines, making it 2-0. 🎯
Leverkusen came close to extending their lead, hitting the woodwork twice. Meanwhile, Monchengladbach had a goal disallowed by VAR just before halftime. 🚫🖥️
The second half saw the hosts mount a comeback. Nico Elvedi pulled one back in the 59th minute, and new signing Tim Kleindienst leveled the score in the 85th minute. ⚡️💪
But just when it seemed like the points would be shared, there was a final twist! 🍿 In the depths of stoppage time, Leverkusen were awarded a penalty for a foul in the area. Florian Wirtz's spot-kick was saved by goalkeeper Jonas Omlin, but Wirtz smashed in the rebound to clinch the win! 🥅🚀
With this victory, Leverkusen extended their unbeaten run in the league to 35 games. 🙌🔥
The match was briefly halted at the start of the second half due to fans lighting multiple flares, covering part of the field in smoke. 🎇🌫️
Xabi Alonso's side showed once again why they're the team to beat this season. Next up, they face another challenging fixture as they continue their quest to defend their title. 💪🏆
Reference(s):
Leverkusen begin Bundesliga title defense by defeating Monchengladbach
cgtn.com
