Bayer Leverkusen gave Kasper Hjulmand a winning start on Friday, beating in-form Eintracht Frankfurt 3-1 at the BayArena for its first Bundesliga victory of the season.
Alejandro Grimaldo led the win with two free-kick goals, opening the scoring in the 10th minute and later sealing the result in stoppage time. Patrik Schick also scored from the penalty spot just before halftime after Nathan Tella was brought down by Frankfurt captain Robert Koch.
Leverkusen had to protect the result while short-handed. Captain Robert Andrich was sent off in the 59th minute after a second bookable offense, and teammate Ezequiel Férnandez was also dismissed in stoppage time.
Frankfurt, whose start after two league games had been bettered only by Bayern Munich, threatened to turn the match when Can Uzun cut the deficit to 2-1 early in the second half. The comeback never arrived, and Grimaldo’s second free kick ended the contest.
The result brought relief after a turbulent opening to the season for Leverkusen. Erik ten Hag had been hired to rebuild the squad after Xabi Alonso left for Real Madrid, but he was dismissed just two games into the campaign.
Ten Hag’s final league match was a 3-3 draw with Werder Bremen on Aug. 30, when players ignored instructions and argued among themselves. Few players remain from the Leverkusen side that won the Bundesliga and German Cup in 2024.
Hjulmand, the former Denmark coach, had only two training sessions to prepare Leverkusen for Frankfurt. His previous Bundesliga experience was a short spell with Mainz in 2014-15, and he had been out of work for more than a year after Denmark’s last-16 exit at the European Championship.