The home side got off to a better start, taking the lead through Jordan Larsson on nine minutes. The Werkself responded with plenty of possession and the first efforts on goal. Youssoufa Moukoko also had a good chance for FC Copenhagen towards the end of the first half, but a strong reflex save by Mark Flekken kept the shot out (44'). Leverkusen went into half-time 1-0 down. And the home side again made the better start to the second 45. However, with fresh legs on the pitch, a tactical switch and as the game progressed, the Werkself turned up the heat. Eventually it was Alejandro Grimaldo who, in his typical style, put a free kick straight into the net (82'). But the game was far from over! Four minutes after the equaliser, Copenhagen's Robert replied with a header to make it 2-1 to the hosts (86'). The Werkself were behind again. But not for long this time: A shot from Claudio Echeverri was deflected into his own net by Pantelis Hatzidiakos - 2-2 (90+1’). That was the final scoreline.
Head coach Kasper Hjulmand said at the post-match press conference: "We're basically happy with the point and are now looking ahead as we carry straight on. We are still in a learning process with this group of many new players. We showed great mentality today after going behind twice."
For his part, Ibrahim Maza said: "We didn't challenge well at the start, but then pulled everything out in the end. We have to be happy about that now and we want to take this energy forward with us." Jarell Quansah added: "First of all, I'd like to say the fans were outstanding. We were behind twice and they cheered us on for the whole 90 minutes. That's exactly what we need - especially away from home. We showed we can come back. The cohesion and team harmony are getting better and better."
The kicker recognised the Werkself had "some difficulties" at the start against "strong Danes". "As the game progressed, Leverkusen gradually came into the game a little better. End-to-end action developed in a wild second half," the newspaper added. Bild reported an "entertaining game", but noted: "The Werkself can count themselves lucky not to have to return home without a point. Copenhagen created several great chances through many determined transition moments."
The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger reported: "Kasper Hjulmand's return to his Danish home at Parken Stadium was, as expected, emotional - especially in the final phase of the match as the new Bayer 04 coach's emotions went in all directions."
Several Bayer 04 players made their debuts against FC Copenhagen: While Mark Flekken, Ezequiel Fernández, Ibrahim Maza, Claudio Echeverri, Ernest Poku and Christian Kofane were playing in the UCL for the first time, Eliesse Ben Seghir made his first start since his move to Bayer 04. Flekken on his debut: "Playing in the Champions League is something really nice. Of course, my debut would have been taken to another level if we’d have won the game." Maza declared: "There was a very good atmosphere and my debut was a dream come true."
Alejandro Grimaldo, for his part, also had a special moment to look back on with his free-kick goal: His past six goals for Leverkusen have all come from set pieces - five of them from direct free-kicks and one from a penalty. In total, the Spaniard has now scored seven direct free-kick goals since his Bayer 04 debut in August 2023 - no other player in the five major leagues has scored more than five across all competitions (Julián Alvarez/Atlético Madrid).
The Werkself clearly had the upper hand in terms of possession: With a 63.6 per cent share of the game, the Black and Reds dominated that stat, as they did in the number of passes (645 to 362). Leverkusen also had the better passing completion rate (89.1 to 79.3 per cent) and also took more shots on goal (15 to 12). The number of duels won was evenly balanced (50 per cent).
The Werkself continue their Bundesliga campaign with a home match against Borussia Mönchengladbach. The game at the BayArena on matchday 4 kicks off at 17:30 CEST on Sunday, 21 September.
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