The Mexico international, 27, did have one good chance to pull them level, but Darmstadt keeper Christian Mathenia was on hand to parry away his 77th-minute header.

"I am delighted to have made my debut," Hernandez told reporters after the match. "But I am not delighted about the result."

Hernandez thanked Leverkusen coach Roger Schmidt for placing trust in him, despite only having trained with the full squad once.

"I am happy that I got so many minutes today, and I hope that it'll stay that way," he added.

Leverkusen host BATE Borisov in the Champions League on Wednesday, while on Sunday they travel to Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund, where they will be hoping to avoid a third consecutive league defeat.