Thanks to a dream start and despite being outnumbered for an hour, Bayer Leverkusen climbed back into the Champions League ranks in the Bundesliga. Coach Gerardo Seoane's team won 3-1 (2-1) at VfB Stuttgart on Sunday. Robert Andrich (2nd minute), Patrik Schick (19th) and the strong national player Florian Wirtz (70th) scored the goals for the Werkself in front of 23,450 spectators. For the hosts, who have not won since the 5: 1 against Fürth on the first matchday and slipped into the lower third of the table, Orel Mangala scored (38th). In the 30th minute, Bayers Andrich saw the red card for a foul.

Less than two minutes were played when Leverkusen's Mitchel Bakker was allowed to cross from the left unobstructed and Andrich nodded the ball from the six-yard corner. The early leadership played in the cards for the guests - and made a noticeable impression on VfB. The Werkself controlled the game, even if they only developed a few really good chances. Schick used one of them to score his fourth goal of the season. After a courageous start by Florian Wirtz, who cheekily lobbed opponent Marc Oliver Kempf on the right side and then fit sharply into the middle, the Czech only had to insert.

VfB faced a similar debacle as in the first half of the last home game against Freiburg (2: 3), in which he was already 0: 3 behind after half an hour.

But the dismissal against Andrich breathed new hope into the Swabians.

The 26-year-old midfielder initially saw a yellow for a violent foul on Tanguy Coulibaly, but according to the video images, referee Benjamin Cortus pulled out red after all. There were only ten of the guests - and Stuttgart suddenly full.

Mangala makes it exciting

After Bayer's full-backs Jeremie Frimpong and Bakker had seen yellow for two more fouls on the nimble Coulibaly in a very short time, Mangala scored the deserved connecting goal. The Belgian midfielder, who had been absent for a long time due to a thigh injury and was in the starting line-up for the first time this season, dusted off from a few meters. Previously, goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky, who played his 100th Bundesliga game for Leverkusen, saved a Konstantinos Mavropanos header.

Even after the break, the game remained entertaining.

VfB defender Kempf was lucky in a duel with Wirtz that there was no penalty for the guests (47th).

Bayer's Schick had to be replaced three minutes later.

Stuttgart's Omar Marmoush missed the 2-2 (51st) against the again well-responding Hradecky, while Leverkusen's Moussa Diaby made the preliminary decision on a counterattack (60th).

Ten minutes later, the lively Wirtz made the decision for the ten players from Leverkusen.

After Bayer captured the ball in midfield, the 18-year-old stormed off alone and hit the lower right corner dry.

It was his seventh goal appearance this season.