The home side were keen to make the most of their return to the UCL after a season away, with the Lions having to come through three qualifying rounds to clinch the return, and they were able to get off to the perfect start with only nine minutes on the clock when Elias Achouri cut the ball back from the byline, and the onrushing Jordan Larsson got to it first and shot past Mark Flekken from close range to give the hosts the lead.
Copenhagen had socred just 34 goals in their 40 UCL games before this one, so the feeling was an unfamiliar but very welcome one for the home fans.
With the visitors looking for a response, Alejandro Grimaldo went close when his free-kick from 25 yards just cleared the crossbar.
Die Werkself have endured a turbulent start to the season, with previous manager Erik ten Hag losing his job after only three games, and they very nearly found themselves 2-0 down just before half-time when Lukas Lerager let a pass across the area roll through to Youssoufa Moukoko, who took a touch before seeing his shot from point-blank range hit the shoulder of Flekken.
New Leverkusen boss Kasper Hjulmand was back in his homeland to take charge of his first UCL main draw game since the 2012/13 season, but the Dane wouldn’t have enjoyed what he saw during a low-quality second half.
Most onlookers would have expected the Germans to come out strongly after the break, but this never materialised. Ben Seghir did see an effort from the edge of the area come back off the right post just after the hour mark, but the visitors struggled from an attacking perspective.
A routine home win looked on for all money; however, a crazy final 10 minutes saw the game finish in dramatic circumstances. First, Grimaldo sent his free-kick from 25 yards flying into the top right-hand corner to equalise, but the Lions responded as Robert Silva headed home to restore the advantage.
However, having put themselves back into a winning position, the home fans were left deflated as Claudio Echeverri’s ball across the area deflected off Pantelis Hatzidiakos to deny Copenhagen victory in cruel fashion.
The Danes have now won just one of their last 15 major European matches against German sides, with Die Werkself knowing they got off the hook to start their League Phase campaign with what could prove to be an important point.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen)
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