Nightmarish start for Erik ten Hag’s new Bayer Leverkusen

In a confrontation between two deeply revamped teams, it was Hoffenheim who came out on top in a comeback win over Bayer Leverkusen on the first day of the Bundesliga. After the hosts took an early lead through Quansah (6′), newcomers Asllani (25′) and Lemperle (52′) signed the 2-1 win that spoiled Erik ten Hag’s debut on the Leverkusen bench.

From the very first minutes, Hoffenheim shows it does not want to play the role of sparring partner: with seven new faces on the pitch, it presses high and immediately forces goalkeeper Flekken into mistakes. Lemperle comes close to taking the lead by hitting the post after just two minutes. Bayer responded with Quansah’s goal off Grimaldo’s free kick, but Hoffenheim remained in control and continued to create. The equalizer arrived with merit: Touré invented on the left, Asllani finished with first-time intent and surprised Flekken at the first post.

The guests did not stop: Coufal and Touré came close to overtaking before halftime. In the second half, Hoffenheim restarts with the same intensity. Asllani protects a long ball well, Lemperle collects and unloads a great shot from outside the box for 2-1. Leverkusen could no longer react and the result remained unchanged until the final whistle.