Facundo Medina’s clinical strike and a pivotal own goal secured three points at the BayArena, overcoming a resilient Celje defense despite lingering questions about clinical finishing.
Facundo Medina scored again as Bayer Leverkusen began their Europa League campaign with a comfortable but hardly flawless victory over Celje at the BayArena.
There was never much doubt about who would control the game. The more interesting question was whether Bayer Leverkusen could turn that control into something more convincing.
They eventually did enough.
A Svit Sešlar own goal gave Leverkusen the lead in the 15th minute before Facundo Medina added a second in the 74th, allowing Carles Martínez's side to begin their Europa League campaign with a 2-0 victory.
The scoreline, however, does not quite capture the night.
Die Werkself dominated possession and territory for long periods, particularly during the opening half, but Celje goalkeeper Zan-Luk Leban repeatedly kept the Slovenian champions within reach of an equaliser. Several promising Leverkusen attacks ended with the goalkeeper standing between the hosts and a more comfortable evening.
The first warning came almost immediately. Martin Terrier's early delivery created an opening inside the box, but Leverkusen were unable to make the most of it. Terrier then came closer himself, forcing Leban into an excellent save that sent the ball onto the post.
The pressure continued.
Aleix Garcia and Edmond Tapsoba both went close before Leverkusen finally found their breakthrough in the 15th minute. A short corner eventually allowed Garcia to deliver into the area, where Sešlar got the decisive touch and inadvertently turned the ball beyond his own goalkeeper.
It was not the cleanest way to take the lead, but it reflected the pressure Leverkusen had created.
Celje did not simply disappear after conceding. Benjamin Verbic forced Mark Flekken into a save after breaking into the area, while Sešlar later came close to making amends when his header was brilliantly kept out by the Leverkusen goalkeeper.
That mattered because Leverkusen were leaving the door open.
Patrik Schick had opportunities before the interval, while Facundo Medina also found space to deliver into the area. But with Leban continuing to produce saves, Celje went into half-time only one goal behind.
Die Werkself continued to dominate after the break, but the same problem remained: they were creating enough without quite putting the game beyond reach.
Medina came particularly close before eventually getting his moment.
In the 74th minute, Garcia's corner found the Argentine defender at the back post. Medina met it first time and fired into the net to make it 2-0, scoring his second goal of the season and again showing the attacking threat he can provide from defence.
That goal finally removed the tension from the BayArena.
Martínez had also used the occasion to rotate his side, making six changes from the Bundesliga draw at Augsburg, with Robert Andrich returning to the starting lineup among the alterations.
The three points were ultimately secure, but the performance left room for improvement.
Bayer created enough chances to have won by a larger margin, while Celje were able to threaten at moments when the hosts lost some of their control. The result was convincing enough; the performance was more complicated.
That may be perfectly acceptable for a team beginning a European campaign under a new coach.
The important part was getting the first three points.
Now comes the harder test.
