Status: 02.09.2023, 17:46 p.m.
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Leverkusen's players celebrate the goal to make it 5-1. © Bernd Thissen/dpa
Bayer Leverkusen are ready for the duel with FC Bayern Munich. The Werkself also won the third game of the season in an impressive manner. Now, after the break, it's off to Munich on September 15th.
Leverkusen - Secret favourites Bayer Leverkusen go into the international break with an almost perfect start to the season - and thus into the duel at champions FC Bayern Munich immediately afterwards. On Matchday 3, Bayer celebrated their third impressive win with a 5-1 (1-1) win over Darmstadt 98 and now have nine points and a strong 11-3 goal to their name. This is the first time that Leverkusen have scored in double figures after three games. Meanwhile, the brave but mercilessly inferior Hessians go into the break without a point.
New signing Victor Boniface scored his second brace in a row (21st/61st), World Cup winner Exequiel Palacios (49th), Germany international Jonas Hofmann scored his first goal for Leverkusen (68th) and Adam Hlozek (83rd), who had come on as a substitute three minutes earlier, scored the goals for Bayer. The Lilies had equalized with the first Bundesliga goal of the only 19-year-old Swede Oscar Vilhelmsson (25th).
It's only the third time in Bayer's Bundesliga history that the Werkself have started with three wins. In the previous times ten and 20 years ago, third and fourth place were in the end. This would mean that the season's goal of "Champions League qualification" would be achieved, but there is a growing feeling that many around the BayArena would only be partially satisfied with it this year.
Coach Xabi Alonso found his formation and went into the game with the same starting eleven for the third time. And this squad, which was already surprisingly homogeneous despite four new signings, was also anxious to take away the hope of a similar surprise to that of fellow newcomers Heidenheim the day before in the 2-2 draw in Dortmund and to wear him down with constant ball circulation.
For Darmstadt, it was almost exclusively a matter of not offering any attack surface and running into space from the kick-off. The people of southern Hesse did this with passion. They threw themselves into every ball - but the bulwark lasted only 20 minutes. However, the 1-0 fell from a bitter situation for the underdog. After their first corner, captain Fabian Holland and Fabian Nürnberger slammed together, Jeremie Frimpong quickly passed the ball to Boniface and the Nigerian finished off a solo halfway down the pitch with a lob.
But four minutes later, the visitors used their standard strength to equalize - even though they were briefly outnumbered due to the elimination of Nuremberg. But after Christoph Klarer's lay-off, Vilhelmsson beat Palacios in the air and pushed the ball over the line.
Now Bayer had to drill a thick board again. Until the break, the game resembled a handball game around the circle. But the Werkself couldn't find the crucial gaps, and so it remained 14-3 at half-time despite 74-1 shots on goal and 1 possessions for Bayer.
After the break, the second goal was quickly scored and again the visitors were unlucky when Palacios' shot was deflected twice and thus untenable. Now the balance of power was clear. Darmstadt now had to come a little more, but Bayer forced the preliminary decision through Boniface on an assist from Wirtz - and was far from enough. Dpa