Nine-man Leverkusen win first match of season, ending SGE unbeaten record | OneFootball

Bayer 04 Leverkusen played host to Eintracht Frankfurt on a clear, sixteen-degree evening at the BayArena, in the third matchweek of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season.

Leverkusen start a new era under former Danish national team coach Kasper Hjulmand, following the sacking of Erik Ten Hag after the first two matches. Die Werkself had a rough start to the season; they lost to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in their opening match by a 1-2 result, and the next match ended in a 3-3 draw with SV Werder Bremen at the Weserstadion - the hosts came back from a 1-3 deficit, ultimately tying the match in the fourth minute of stoppage time while down to ten.

Meanwhile, Eintracht Frankfurt went into this match in the opposite situation; in their third season under Dino Toppmöller, the Champions League side started their new campaign with a 2-0-0 record, defeating SV Werder Bremen (4-1) at home and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (3-1) away. The visitors did the honours of kicking off this match, with Jonathan Burkardt completing the first pass.

Potential injury concerns became an issue within the first ten minutes. Exequiel Palacios clutched his right leg following a failed sliding tackle attempt - the Argentine briefly walked off the field before re-entering, and was ultimately brought off in the fifteenth minute, with Aleix García as his replacement. Rasmus Kristensen went down four minutes later, and had to walk off the field with problems in his left leg; Nathaniel Brown had to enter in his place at right-back.

In the eighth minute, Can Uzun shoved Nathan Tella from behind, just before the latter could enter the Frankfurt penalty area. The 19-year-old Turkish talent would ultimately regret that decision, as Alejandro Grimaldo's ensuing left-footed free kick was curled off the right post, off the back of Michael Zetterer and into the top-left corner. It was registered as an own goal to the 39-year-old German goalkeeper, who was involved in his third match with SGE.

Uzun tried to make up for it with a cross into the centre of the box, from the right side of the Leverkusen third in the fifteenth minute; however, he was unable to find Ritsu Dōan, overhitting the ball and sending it out of play for a goal kick to the hosts. Tella would follow with a chance of his own, splitting between two Frankfurt defenders in the centre of the box before sending a powerful shot over the bar.

Tella would generate another chance for the visitors in the twenty-second minute, breaking out on a counterattack with Patrick Schick to his left and Robert Andrich to his right. The Nigerian international winger would find some open space between Oscar Højlund and Robin Koch, and sent a through ball in that direction to Patrik Schick - however, Schick would blast the following attempt well over the bar from outside the visitors' penalty area.

Despite 64% possession at the half-hour mark, Frankfurt failed to land a single shot on target in the direction of Mark Flekken; Leverkusen had six shots, two on target by that time.

Just after the match clock reached 30 minutes, Zetterer gave away the ball on what was a routine goal kick, and Aleix García would launch a shot in his direction under ten seconds later. The former SV Werder Bremen goalkeeper would punch the ball to the right side of the box with both gloves; Lucas Vázquez, who got to the rebound first, could not pick out the top-right corner, sending the ball just over and out.

Burkardt got a decent chance in the thirty-seventh minute, meeting a left-footed cross from Jean-Mattéo Bahoya for a free header; however, it was not enough to direct the ball into the top-right corner, ultimately going metres above the crossbar.

Tella would create a similar opportunity to that of the twenty-second minute chance, right before stoppage time; in open space and just as he was entering the Frankfurt penalty area, he passed short to Malik Tillman on the left side of the box. The American international midfielder would launch an attempt towards the bottom-left corner before Højlund could slide in; however, he missed by metres.

Tella continued to make an impact, weaving his way into the centre of the Frankfurt penalty area before being clipped by Robin Koch in the third minute of added time. Deniz Aytekin had no other option but to award the hosts a penalty; two minutes later, Patrick Schick would send Zetterer to the right side of the Frankfurt net, before tapping the ball into the bottom-left corner to double the lead for the hosts.

In the first half, Leverkusen outshot Frankfurt 11-4 and 5-0 on target. Interestingly enough, SGE had 54% possession and a better pass accuracy, 85% on 260 passes compared to 78% on 191 for B04.

The first dangerous chance ot the second half would go to Frankfurt, three minutes after the restart. Jarell Quansah would stop a ground pass into the centre of the box from reaching Jonathan Burkardt; however, his slide tackle sent the ball to Farès Chaïbi just inside the area. Chaïbi's right-footed attempt went well wide of the goal, out for a goal kick to the hosts.

Can Uzun would take advantage of the next chance and cut the deficit in half in the fifty-second minute, volleying the ball off the glove of Flekken and into the top-left corner following a failed headed clearance from Edmond Tapsoba.

The visitors would benefit from a second yellow card to Robert Andrich in the fifty-eighth minute, as the German defensive midfielder crashed into Ritsu Dōan shortly after the Japanese international passed the ball away from his possession. Andrich was furious, with words for Deniz Aytekin before walking off; Frankfurt were now playing eleven against ten.

Nnamdi Collins would nearly tie the score for Frankfurt three minutes later, pausing in the centre of the Leverkusen half before powering a right-footed attempt off the crossbar. Uzun would send another shot from distance in the sixty-fourth minute, one that slightly missed the bottom-left corner.

Frankfurt could not generate any significant chances in the twenty minutes after that; in the final ten minutes, Leverkusen nearly had a chance to close out the match and walk out of the BayArena with three crucial points.

Axel Tape ran into the right side of the visitors' penalty area, broke free of Arthur Theate, and sent a shot in Michael Zetterer's direction; however, the Frankfurt goalkepeer would cut down the angle and deflect the attempt away for a corner to the hosts. Despite trying to find Tella in the centre of the box, nothing would come of the ensuing corner.

Ezequiel Fernández, in his Bayer Leverkusen debut, would be sent off in second half stoppage time, crashing into the right leg of Mahmoud Dahoud before the latter could cross the ball from the left side of the hosts' third.

With Kasper Hjulmand's side down to nine men, the primary focus was to run out the clock and pick up the three points - a foul committed by Michy Batshuayi, drawing a Leverkusen free kick in their own half, made that even more possible. This was then followed by a Theate slide tackle on Grimaldo just outside the box, one that forced a free kick from a dangerous area.

The Spanish international wing-back / left midfielder followed with another direct free kick into the top-right corner, also deflecting off the right post before finding its way through - thus securing the 3-1 victory. He then followed with the same golf swing celebration as that of the first free kick.

Bayer 04 Leverkusen will look to continue their winning ways against Borussia Mönchengladbach next Sunday at BayArena, with kickoff set for 17:30 (CET); however, they will not have too much rest going in, since they face Danish side FC København in UEFA Champions League compeition in the middle of the week.

As for Eintracht Frankfurt, who lost their unbeaten record, they will also play Champions League football in the middle of the week, hosting Turkish side Galatasaray SK; this will be followed by a match with 1. FC Union Berlin next Sunday, with kickoff two hours before Leverkusen's match at 15:30 (CET).