With the new coach Kasper Hjulmand, hope and spectacle are back in Leverkusen. The outnumbered victory against Frankfurt was impressive – and wild.
Despite the long and at the end of two outnumber, Bayer beat Eintracht 3-1 (2-0) on Friday evening and thus celebrated the first victory on the 3rd matchday of the Bundesliga. In a strong first half of Leverkusen, Alejandro Grimaldo met with a free kick (10th) and Patrik Schick by penalty (45.+4). After the connection goal by Can Uzun (52.), Robert Andrich Früh (59.) and Equi Fernandez late (90.+2) had to get off the field with yellow -red, but Leverkusen still saved the lead over time – and Grimaldo added one more thing (90.+8).
“We are very happy that we finally have three points. That was very important to us”, Said Schick in the Sportschau interview. “We are also very happy for the new coach that he started with a big win.”
Andreas Kramer, Sportschau, 12.09.2025 11:03 p.m.
Hjulmand inherited Ten HAG – and gives clear instructions
The former Mainz coach Hjulmand was most recently a Danish national coach and is the successor to Erik Ten Hag. The Dutchman had had to go after only two match days, only one point and internal disputes.
When asked what Hjulmand did differently, Schick said: “He gave us simple tasks, it was very clear what we wanted to do on the pitch. In the first half we showed that it worked. We created many opportunities and the defenders worked well.”
Grimaldo’s shooting as a can opener
It was correspondingly unclear how the Leverkuseners would start the game, especially since opponents Frankfurt had good reasons for self -confidence after two wins and 7: 3 goals. An early goal helps in such situations – and Grimaldo delivered it. The Spanish firing artist put a flutter free kick from 23 meters on the right post. From there, the ball jumped to goalkeeper Zetterer and online.
The goal actually proved to be a breast removal, Leverkusen was then the clearly stronger team with the much better chances. Hjulmand had only three positions compared to the 3: 3 against Bremen, among other things he relyed on the six on Palacios for Aleix Garcia. After only 15 minutes he had to undo this personnel, Palacios had to go off the field.
Frankfurt for a long time
Frankfurt had already had to change five minutes earlier, Nathaniel Brown replaced the injured Rasmus Kristensen. At Eintracht, the highly praised offensive game was almost complete, it was only in the 38th minute that the guests had their first noteworthy chance – the recovered Jonathan Burkardt headed a flank from Jean -Matteo Bahoya over the goal.
A compensation would also have been undeserved – in contrast to the 2-0, which followed before the break. Because Frankfurt’s Robin Koch classically placed a leg in his own 16 Nathan Tella, Schick was allowed to compete from the penalty point and turn precisely at the bottom left.
Leverkusens Patrik Schick cheered the goal together with his teammates
Uzuns run stops
Oddly enough, a 15-minute half-time break during football games sometimes ensures that the balance of power is fundamentally changing, even without changing players. That was the case in this case too. The Eintracht came out of the cabin as if replaced and earned the early goal by Uzun. A volley acceptance of the 19-year-old landed deflected online, it was already a third goal of the season in the third game.
When Leverkusen just seemed to swim free, Leverkusen’s captain Andrich jumped the ball a little too far from the foot. He grabbed at speed, hit the ball, but endangered the bones of Frankfurt’s Ritsu Doan that referee Deniz Aytekin showed yellow-red. Annoying for Andrich: He had won the first yellow card early in the first half by an unnecessary pluck against goalkeeper Zetterer.
Bayer moves together
Leverkusen remembered in a disciplined defense and was successful with it. The Eintracht ran, but found no gaps.
Leverkusens Patrik Schick in a duel with Frankfurt’s Oscar Hojlund
Bayer still had the thickest chance of the final phase after a long ball by goalkeeper Mark Flekken, but substitute Axel Tape failed on Zetterer. When Leverkusen’s Fernandez flew off the square with a superfluous tackle in added time, the game became wild again. The Frankfurt rubbed themselves in discussions instead of concentrating on their attacks.
Grimaldo punished the Frankfurt negligence with a perfect free kick goal to the 3-1 final score.
Leverkusen against Gladbach, Frankfurt against Berlin
Leverkusen is now receiving Borussia Mönchengladbach (5.30 p.m.) on Sunday evening. Frankfurt has a guest on Sunday afternoon Union Berlin (3:30 p.m.).