Elversberg Stun Leverkusen on Bundesliga Debut as the Season Bursts Into Life

The story of the day belonged to Elversberg. A club playing fourth-tier football just five years ago, they marked their Bundesliga debut by beating Bayer Leverkusen 3-2 — one of the most remarkable results German football has seen in years. It was the kind of afternoon that reminds you why promotion matters, and why the opening weekend of a new season so often delivers something unexpected.

It was a rich day for the Bundesliga more broadly. Bayern Munich eased past Stuttgart with five goals, Dortmund opened with a controlled 2-0 win over Hamburg despite a late red card, and Cologne staged a comeback of their own against Hoffenheim. Eintracht Frankfurt's Younes Ebnoutalib announced his return from injury with a hat-trick against Union Berlin, though it was not enough to secure victory. The opening weekend had personality.

Elsewhere, Manchester City were commanding at Selhurst Park — Haaland and Rayan Cherki both scored twice in a 4-1 win over Crystal Palace — while Bradley Barcola edged closer to a move from PSG to Liverpool, and Rafael Leão landed in Istanbul to finalise his switch to Galatasaray. Wolves continued their unbeaten Championship start, and Lankshear's brace took his tally to six goals in five games for Middlesbrough. A full, genuinely eventful day.