A majestic free-kick from substitute Jens Hegeler deep into stoppage time secured a 2-1 home win for Bayer Leverkusen over Real Sociedad in Champions League Group A.
Simon Rolfes put the hosts ahead just before the break before Carlos Vela levelled the scores six minutes after the break.
It looked as though both sides would have to settle for a draw until Hegeler nicked the win with a late free-kick.
With just seconds remaining, the hosts were awarded a free-kick just outside the area.
And Hegeler, who was only introduced in the 84th minute, stepped up to curl the ball over the wall and into the top corner of the goal.
"Scoring a goal like that in the 90th minute is a huge deal for me," Hegeler said after the match.
"There weren't many free-kick takers left on the pitch and three or four weeks ago I scored a similar free-kick in a friendly match so I just thought I could do it again.
"I think that was my first free-kick goal in a competitive match. I've practiced these things in training but you don't have any pressure in those situations."
Rolfes added: "Bringing on Jens Hegeler breathed fresh wind into our game. He came on and was present right away.
"That's not luck, that has something to do with having the right attitude. For the ball to go in like that, that's a little bit of luck surely, but sometimes you have to force luck."
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| Jens Hegeler is congratulated by Leverkusen teammates after scoring against Real Sociedad Photo: Reuters |
Simon Rolfes put the hosts ahead just before the break before Carlos Vela levelled the scores six minutes after the break.
It looked as though both sides would have to settle for a draw until Hegeler nicked the win with a late free-kick.
With just seconds remaining, the hosts were awarded a free-kick just outside the area.
And Hegeler, who was only introduced in the 84th minute, stepped up to curl the ball over the wall and into the top corner of the goal.
"Scoring a goal like that in the 90th minute is a huge deal for me," Hegeler said after the match.
"There weren't many free-kick takers left on the pitch and three or four weeks ago I scored a similar free-kick in a friendly match so I just thought I could do it again.
"I think that was my first free-kick goal in a competitive match. I've practiced these things in training but you don't have any pressure in those situations."
Rolfes added: "Bringing on Jens Hegeler breathed fresh wind into our game. He came on and was present right away.
"That's not luck, that has something to do with having the right attitude. For the ball to go in like that, that's a little bit of luck surely, but sometimes you have to force luck."
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