Elversberg 3-2 Bayer Leverkusen: Petkov stars as Bundesliga debutants make winning start

Elversberg marked their Bundesliga debut with a remarkable 3-2 victory over Bayer Leverkusen, holding off a late fightback on Saturday.

Having secured three promotions in five seasons to reach the top division, Elversberg got off to a flying start when Lukas Petkov and Cole Campbell netted inside nine minutes.

David Mokwa made it 3-0 shortly after half-time, but the hosts had to survive an attempted comeback as late goals from Patrik Schick and Christian Kofane ultimately proved redundant.

Leverkusen loanee Francis Onyeka haunted his parent club early on. He held up play well before offloading towards the edge of the box for Petkov, whose left-footed drive caught Mark Flekken flat-footed for the opening goal.

Immediately from kick-off, Edmond Tapsoba was caught in possession at the back, allowing Campbell to drive forward and fire into the bottom-left corner.

Leverkusen almost responded when Aleix Garcia's deflected free-kick clattered the crossbar, with Afonso Moreira unable to head home on the rebound.

However, in an almost identical repeat of the first half, Leverkusen were caught napping after the interval when Petkov’s right-sided cross found Mokwa to bundle home at the near post in the 47th minute.

Schick twice headed off target as Leverkusen looked to get back in the game, but the striker eventually pulled one back with 13 minutes remaining, flicking in smartly from Ibrahim Maza's diverted shot.

Kofane then pounced on a 91st-minute rebound after Victor Boniface was denied by the woodwork, but Elversberg dug deep to earn a memorable victory.

Dream start for debutants

Elversberg have enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks of German football, but even head coach Vincent Wagner may not have dreamed of this start.

They became the first Bundesliga debutants to win their opening match since 2015, when Ingolstadt won 1-0 away at Mainz.

And the way in which they did it was even more impressive. No club has ever needed fewer minutes to score their first two goals on their Bundesliga debut than Elversberg, who went 2-0 up in nine minutes.

Leverkusen, champions in 2023-24, appeared stunned by that start and ultimately suffered their first defeat against a promoted side in 20 Bundesliga games, a club-record run.

Having finished sixth in the league last season and qualified for the Europa League, this was a damaging opening for Carles Novell's side, who will be intent on pushing towards the top four once more.

Novell may feel slightly hard done by – Leverkusen accumulated 1.98 expected goals (xG) to the home side's 1.12, while Flekken will have been disappointed with Petkov's opening finish.

But Leverkusen can not afford to slump after a shock loss, with Union Berlin up next on Saturday as the Bundesliga campaign gets into full swing.