"Hjulmand's turbulent comeback ends in a 2-2 draw"
Bayer Leverkusen Draw 2-2 Against FC Copenhagen in Champions League Opener
Bayer Leverkusen's Champions League campaign got off to a rocky start as they drew 2-2 against FC Copenhagen. The German side struggled throughout the match, with little resemblance to the formidable football team that won the double last year.
New head coach Kasper Hjulmand admitted he was disappointed with the team's performance for large stretches of the game. Captain Robert Andrich echoed this sentiment, admitting that Leverkusen wanted to leave with three points but didn't.
The match started off well for FC Copenhagen, with Jordan Larsson scoring in the 9th minute. Robert Silva added another goal in the 86th minute, putting them twice ahead. Leverkusen, however, managed to mount a comeback and press for the equalizer.
Aleix Garcia was brought in to partner Andrich in the double pivot, but Leverkusen didn't significantly improve until late in the second half. Ezequiel Fernández was preferred over Robert Andrich in defensive midfield, but Andrich had problems with ball losses during the game.
Leverkusen's comeback began in the 82nd minute when Alejandro Grimaldo scored a fantastic free-kick goal, similar to his goal in the 3:1 win against Frankfurt in the league. This started the chaotic final phase where both teams scored again. Pantelis Hatzidiakos scored an own goal for Leverkusen in the 90.+2 minute to equalize the score.
Mark Flekken, the Leverkusen goalkeeper, made an excellent save to deny Youssoufa Moukoko's goal attempt just before halftime. Moukoko came close to scoring the 2:0 for FC Copenhagen.
Grimaldo's goal and the chaotic final phase marked a turning point in the champions league standings, but it wasn't enough for Leverkusen to secure a win. Goalkeeper Flekken stated that Bayer Leverkusen can't be satisfied with the point.
Simon Rolfes, the sports director of Leverkusen, acknowledged the challenges of the massive turnover in the summer. The former Danish national team player whose sons played in the Champions League match is not explicitly named in the search results, with no direct information found linking a former Danish player and her sons participating in this specific match.
Hjulmand's Champions League comeback as a coach after 13 years got off to a rocky start, but he said he barely thought about the traumatic 2021 incident at this stadium where Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during the Euro. Instead, he wanted to focus on football and improve the team's performance in the upcoming matches.
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