Both sides went into this Weserstadion clash eager to make a quick start as a means to a first win of the season.
But it was a baptism of fire for 18-year-old defender Karim Coulibaly on his first senior start, as his loose pass gave possession away to Leverkusen’s Nathan Tella, who made his way to the byline and pulled it back for Patrik Schick to lift into the open net.
The visitors used that opener to stay in control, but flashes of brilliance from Bremen – including Marco Grull’s shot, which sailed just wide of the mark – threatened to keep things in the balance.
But it didn’t take long for Die Grun-Weißen’s defensive frailties to be exposed once again. Alex Grimaldo was allowed to stride forward and Christian Kofane’s cross was weakly deflected to Malik Tillman, who chested it down and volleyed in from close range on his Leverkusen debut.
It was the turn, though, of a young Leverkusen defender to make the next mistake, with Axel Tape taking down Samuel Mbangula just inside the area. Romano Schmid stepped up to the resulting spot-kick and powered in, injecting some uncertainty into the Leverkusen ranks ahead of half-time
That looked to have given the hosts a boost as the second half got underway, but they were caught out by a long goal kick from Edmond Tapsoba to Kofane, who was subsequently taken down in front of goal by Niklas Stark.
The challenge may well have earned the Bremen skipper a straight red if he hadn’t already been booked, but his side were nevertheless reduced to 10 men, and the deficit was restored to two, as Schick chipped down the middle from 12 yards.
Still, the defensive errors weren’t over, and debutant Isaac Schmidt beat a wandering Mark Flekken to a long ball and passed into the net to make it 3-2.
The Weserstadion roared in response, and their side remained in the hunt until they hit a remarkable 94th-minute equaliser.
Making amends for his early error, Coulibaly reacted first to a header off the bar and slotted inside the near post to earn his side an unlikely point.
With such big shoes to fill after Xabi Alonso’s departure, Ten Hag will be disappointed to see his side capitulate against 10 men, while Horst Steffen appears to have already embedded his philosophy and will be delighted with their fighting spirit.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen)
