German champions Leverkusen start season with last-gasp win

Defending champions Bayer Leverkusen secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over Borussia Moenchengladbach in the Bundesliga opener. Granit Xhaka and Florian Wirtz gave Leverkusen a 2-0 lead, but Gladbach equalized through Nico Elvedi and Tim Kleindienst. In the 11th minute of stoppage time, Wirtz scored the winner from a rebound after his penalty was saved. Xhaka praised the team’s “pure mentality” while coach Xabi Alonso was speechless about the late victory. AFP