Overview
- Álex Grimaldo converted an 11th-minute penalty and added a first-half second to give the visitors a 3-1 halftime lead.
- A spot-kick for minimal contact stood after VAR review, and former Leverkusen midfielder Nadiem Amiri scored to cut the deficit to 3-2 in the 69th minute.
- Martin Terrier marked his return from injury with an 88th-minute goal, before Armindo Sieb struck in stoppage time to set up a tense finish.
- The victory was Leverkusen’s third in a row under new coach Kasper Hjulmand, who returned to face Mainz after a difficult 2014–15 stint there.
- Leverkusen climbed to fifth with the win and remain unbeaten in eight matches, while RB Leipzig beat Hamburg 2-1 and Stuttgart won 3-0 at Wolfsburg.