Werkself Review #B04SGE: “Good character shown” in winning start for Hjulmand

Summary: Three set pieces and solid defence

Alejandro Grimaldo took the first chance of an intense encounter to open the scoring with a free-kick inside 10 minutes. After a spell of pressure from Frankfurt, Leverkusen retook the upper hand and doubled their lead when Patrik Schick converted a penalty won by the lively Nathan Tella on the stroke of half-time. Eintracht raced back out of the blocks in the second half and got back in it through Can Uzun. Captain Robert Andrich was shown a second yellow card shortly after the hour mark, but the Werkself remained solid at the back. Ezequiel Fernández was also dismissed for a second caution after coming on for his debut, but Grimaldo made sure of all three points with another pin-point free-kick in added time. Read more about the game in our report HERE.

Reaction: “The stadium has great energy”

New coach Hjulmand said of the eventful evening: “A lot happened in this game. In the end, we’re very pleased. I congratulated the team on this performance. Obviously not everything worked and we’ve got a lot of work ahead, but the team showed great character today. Plus there’s the great quality of the players. It was a very good start.” Asked about his first game in charge at the BayArena, the Dane replied: “The stadium has great energy. Thanks to the fans for their support today.”

Man of the Match Grimaldo said afterwards to Werkself-TV: “I’m really happy about my two goals. But the most important thing is that I could help the team today. We had to suffer with a man down, but the team came together. We defended as a block.” Fellow goalscorer Schick added: “The win was very important. We also wanted to win for the new coach. Even being a man down, we defended very well, also because everyone’s role was very clear.”

What the papers said: “Dramatic debut win for Hjulmand”

“The season really starts NOW for Leverkusen” was Bild’s summary as they talked about a “dramatic debut win for Hjulmand”. The new coach was given a top mark by the paper, who said “Leverkusen looked completely different. Last season’s runners-up allowed the opposition very little and were a constant threat themselves after quick turnovers and counters”. kicker described it as a “thoroughly entertaining Bundesliga match” and that “the win wasn’t the result of typical Leverkusen means. They had good moments in transition and defended well throughout, even when two men down. It was a very solid display”.

Personnel: Europe’s free-kick king

Grimaldo scored his fifth and sixth direct free-kicks for the Werkself since joining at the start of 2023/24, which is the most of any player in Europe’s top five leagues in that period. Asked afterwards about the left-footer, Hjulmand said: “He was excellent even beyond his two goals today. He has so much quality. We’re so happy to have him.” The 29-year-old is also only the fourth player since detailed data collection began in 2004/05 to score two direct free-kicks in a single Bundesliga game, after Ronny (Hertha Berlin, 2014), Alexander Frei (Borussia Dortmund, 2007) and Lincoln (Schalke, 2005).

Lucas Vázquez also had an impressive debut for Bayer 04, with the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger highlighting his “excellent technique and great discipline”. The right-back himself told Werkself-TV: “It was an intense and emotional first game for me. I really enjoyed the atmosphere in the stadium. We’ve only been together a sport period of time, but I’ve gained an understanding with my teammates very quickly. It’s automatically easier with players at such a high level.”

Aged 34 years and 73 days, Vázquez is the fifth-oldest outfield player to make his Bundesliga debut for Leverkusen, after Rudi Völler, Sergej Barbarez, Thomas Zdebel and Sami Hyypiä.

Stats: Schick’s impressive year

Schick’s penalty to make it 2-0 was his fourth goal in as many competitive appearances this season. The Czech striker how has 15 in the Bundesliga in 2025. Across Europe’s top five leagues, only Kylian Mbappé of Real Madrid (24) and Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy (18) have scored more league goals this calendar year.

Bayer 04 won an impressive 64 percent of their duels in a hard-fought encounter, having 18 shots to Frankfurt’s 13. The visitors, however, had 61 percent possession and a better pass completion rate (86 vs. 78 percent).

Outlook: Champions League kicks off in Copenhagen

Next up for Leverkusen is the start of their UEFA Champions League campaign with a trip to the Danish capital to face Copenhagen on Thursday (kick-off: 6.45pm CEST). The following Sunday they host Borussia Mönchengladbach at the BayArena (5.30pm).