Chaotic 2-2 Draw Marks Disappointing Return for Hjulmand

Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand faces a whirlwind of feelings upon his homecoming as Bayer Leverkusen's manager, with the team snatching a last-minute draw

, and ASMedia

2025 September 24 . 2:03 PM

2 min read

Struggling 2-2 Score after Coach Hjulmand's Absence

Chaotic 2-2 Draw Marks Disappointing Return for Hjulmand

Bayer Leverkusen Draw 2-2 with FC Copenhagen in Champions League Opener

Bayer Leverkusen's Champions League return under new head coach Kasper Hjulmand got off to a rocky start, as they drew 2-2 with FC Copenhagen in their opening match.

The Danish coach, who returned to Champions League coaching after 13 years, saw his team struggle for large stretches of the game. Captain Robert Andrich admitted that Leverkusen left the match with mixed feelings, as they had hoped to win.

The first half of the match was dominated by FC Copenhagen, with Jordan Larsson scoring in the 9th minute and Robert Silva finding the net again in the 86th. Captain Andrich had an unhappy game, losing many balls during the match.

However, Leverkusen refused to give up and managed to score an equalizer in the 82nd minute. Alejandro Grimaldo scored from a free-kick, similar to his goal in their 3-1 league win over Frankfurt. The equalizer came just four years after Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during the Euros at the same venue where the match took place.

The final phase of the match saw both teams score again. Pantelis Hatzidiakos scored an own goal for Bayer Leverkusen, but Silva responded with a goal for FC Copenhagen.

Many key players have left Leverkusen this summer, including Piero Hincapie, Jonah Kusi-Asare, Paul Wanner, Tarek Buchmann, João Palhinha, Adam Aznou, Hyun-Ju Lee, Daniel Peretz, and Lovro Zvonarek. The team also lost title-winning coach Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid.

Simon Rolfes, the sporting director of Bayer Leverkusen, acknowledged the difficulties of the massive turnover in the summer. Hjulmand had not dwelled much on the traumatic 2021 incident and instead focused on football.

Mark Flekken, the goalkeeper for Bayer Leverkusen, stated that they cannot be satisfied with just a point. After halftime, Aleix Garcia replaced Ezequiel Fernández to partner Robert Andrich in defensive midfield. Youssoufa Moukoko, the former Dortmund player, almost scored 2-0 for FC Copenhagen just before halftime, but Flekken made a brilliant save to deny the goal.

Despite the change, the current Leverkusen team has little in common with the formidable side that won the double last year. Hjulman had hoped for a special night and a football party, but the outcome was not as expected. Leverkusen will look to bounce back in their next Champions League match.