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

The late targets simply hold 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 recreation of the Bundesliga season.

Xabi Alonso’s workforce went undefeated in each the league and the German Cup final season, partly due to plenty of late targets 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 another workforce from Europe’s prime 5 leagues in that span.

“Perhaps that is our new DNA, as an instance that. This isn’t a blot, to imagine till the top, would not matter how we play, would not matter what occurred within the recreation,” midfielder Granit Xhaka informed ESPN afterward.

“In the long run, the mentality, the standard that we’ve got reveals yet another time that we imagine till the top and we’re joyful that we take the three factors again house,” he added.

Alonso additionally put the workforce’s behavior for late targets right down to their mindset.

“It is tough to elucidate why we at all times rating late targets,” he informed a information convention. “We won’t prepare that and I am unable to affect it. It is the mentality of the workforce.”

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 didn’t clear their strains.

Leverkusen then hit the woodwork twice, whereas Gladbach had a aim chalked off after a video assessment 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 usually with Leverkusen, there was nonetheless time for a closing twist.

The guests have 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 forestall 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 recreation,” Xhaka mentioned. “Monchengladbach have been placing some defensive gamers on so they offer us extra time within the midfield and after we’ve got 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 recreation for us,” he added. “Plenty of issues occurred within the second half, it was filled with emotion proper to the top. We did nicely in lots of phases.

“However we weren’t at all times so compact at the moment, we have been additionally a bit passive in some phases. We now have to try this higher. We now have to be extra aggressive.”

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

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