LEVERKUSEN – Bayer Leverkusen overcame two red cards and a tense second half to beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-1 on Friday, giving new coach Kasper Hjulmand a winning start.
Alex Grimaldo was the star of the night, scoring from two brilliant free kicks, one in each half. Patrik Schick also netted from the penalty spot as Leverkusen collected their first league win of the season.
Grimaldo opened the scoring just 10 minutes in, curling his free kick off the post and past goalkeeper Michael Zetterer. Schick then doubled the lead in first-half stoppage time, calmly converting a penalty after Nathan Tella was fouled.
Frankfurt clawed one back early in the second half when Can Uzun’s strike deflected past Leverkusen keeper Mark Flekken. The pressure grew when captain Robert Andrich was sent off with a second yellow card in the 60th minute.
Down to 10 men, Leverkusen held on, only to lose another player deep into stoppage time when Equi Fernandez was shown red. But Grimaldo, now wearing the captain’s armband, sealed the win minutes earlier with another pinpoint free kick in the 82nd minute.
“Of course in the second half we were missing a player and the game was difficult,” Schick told Sky Germany. “The defenders did an unbelievable job today.” He praised Grimaldo’s set-piece skills, saying: “For him, it’s like a penalty. He does it perfectly.”
Hjulmand, appointed on Monday after Erik ten Hag’s dismissal, was thrilled with the debut win. “What a game,” the 53-year-old Dane said. “We didn’t have many chances, but we had energy.”
The victory extended Leverkusen’s dominance over Frankfurt. They have now won six straight against them and have not lost at home to Frankfurt since 2013.
