Football | Lukas Hradecky’s Leverkusen did it again – an absolutely amazing turnaround

Last the season’s German Bundesliga champion Bayer Leverkusen became famous for its last-minute winning or equalizing goals. Nothing seems to have changed.

On Friday, it already looked like the team was getting a taste of its own medicine, but in the 11th minute of extra time ordered by the referee, the script changed Lukas Hradecky in favor of the skippered Leverkusen.

Leverkusen led 2–0 after the first half. Mönchengladbach equalized in the 85th minute, but in the final moments the referee went to watch the videos. After all, there was something to step on: a goalkeeper Jonas Omlin repelled By Florian Wirtz the shot, but Wirtz was able to return the ball and shoot the victory for Leverkusen.

Leverkusen the opening goal of the season came in the 12th minute, when Granit Xhaka fired a stunning long-range shot into the top corner. Wirtz increased the lead of last season’s champions to 2–0 in the 38th minute.

Mönchengladbach got the ball behind Hradecky at the end of the opening period, but after a var check by Tim Kleindienst the goal was disallowed. Before the goal, Leverkusen’s defender was fouled.

Repeat Halftime had time to play just over 40 seconds, when the match was stopped for more than six minutes. Mönchengladbach supporters lit torches so abundantly that almost the entire field was covered in smoke.

When the game started, in the 59th minute, Mönchengladbach narrowed. First, Hradecky made a top save, but the return ball Nico Elvedi flashed to the finish line. Kleindiest scored the equalizer in the 85th minute.

Leverkusen desperately tried to score the winning goal in the pouring rain, but Mönchengladbach’s defense held out until a penalty kick in the last moments crushed the home team’s hopes of a point.

Leverkusen played 51 games in a row without defeat in all competitions last season. The streak was broken in the Europa League final in May, when the Italian side Atalanta was better.