SV Elversberg produced one of the most remarkable results of the young Bundesliga season, defeating reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen 3-2 at home in their first-ever top-flight match on Saturday.
The smallest town ever to host a Bundesliga club, with a population of roughly 13,000, provided the stage for a stunning upset. Elversberg raced into a two-goal lead inside the opening ten minutes, with Bulgarian winger Lukas Petkov and American Cole Campbell finding the net within a minute of each other. David Mokwa extended the advantage shortly after the restart, leaving Leverkusen facing an uphill battle in front of 9,307 jubilant supporters at the Ursapharm-Arena, a venue currently operating with reduced capacity while it undergoes upgrades to satisfy Bundesliga stadium regulations.
Leverkusen, who claimed the 2023-24 Bundesliga title without losing a single match, appeared sluggish and disjointed for much of the contest. Patrik Schick and Christian Kofane both scored late in an attempt to salvage something from the game, but the comeback fell short as Elversberg held on for a famous victory. The result poses an early challenge for new Leverkusen coach Carles Martínez Novell, who replaced Kasper Hjulmand over the summer after departing Ligue 1 side Toulouse.
Elversberg captain Lukas Pinckert could barely contain his emotions afterward.