MONCHENGLADBACH, Germany (AFP) — Florian Wirtz scored in the 11th minute of stoppage time to snatch a 3-2 win for reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen at Borussia Moenchengladbach in Friday’s Bundesliga opener.

Leverkusen were cruising at half-time, after a Granit Xhaka stunner and a Wirtz goal gave Xabi Alonso’s side a two-goal lead.

With rain teeming down at Gladbach’s Borussia Park, Nico Elvedi brought the hosts closer with a 59th-minute strike, before newcomer Tim Kleindienst levelled the score with five minutes remaining.

A second-half delay when home supporters set off flares in the stands meant a lengthy period of added time. In the 10th minute of that stoppage time Ko Itakura clipped Amine Adli’s boot in the box, bringing Wirtz to the spot.

Wirtz’s effort was saved but the Germany midfielder hammered the ball in on the rebound as his side won late again.

Leverkusen built a reputation for saving matches with last-gasp goals during their incredible run last season, and Friday’s strike was officially the latest goal in league history.

Wirtz told
DAZN he was “glad” to be given the responsibility of the spot kick, saying he “wanted to decide the game”.

“I know that at the end it was a bit lucky but I don’t want to complain. We’re happy that we won at the end.

“We made it a bit hard for ourselves. There’s plenty of things we need to keep working on but we can be happy we got the three points today.”

Fresh off an unbeaten league and cup double last campaign, Leverkusen picked up another piece of silverware last Saturday by beating Stuttgart on penalties to lift the German Supercup.

Gladbach, a fallen giant who narrowly avoided relegation last season, were dealt a blow shortly before kick-off, with star midfielder Manu Kone left out of the squad due to an impending move away from the club.

Friday’s league opener, which features the defending champions, was the first without Bayern Munich since 2013.