Sports

First Bundesliga Title For Bayer Leverkusen After 11 Years At Bayern Munich

Published

2 weeks ago

April 15, 2024

(CTN News) – Alonso led Bayer Leverkusen to a first Bundesliga title Sunday, ending Bayern Munich’s 11-year reign.

In the end, Leverkusen won by 16 points over Bayern, extending its unbeaten streak to 43 games across all competitions. Wirtz scored a hat trick in Bayer Leverkusen’s 5-0 win over Werder Bremen. The game ended with a pitch invasion to seal the club’s first German title.

“It’s unimaginable… The possibility doesn’t even occur to me,” Wirtz told broadcaster DAZN. My head needs some more time to process what we’ve accomplished. I’ve enjoyed partying outside with the fans and having a locker room party so far.”

The period leading up to Bayer Leverkusen’s fourth goal was played in thick red smoke from supporters’ pyrotechnics. Leverkusen’s bench clapped along to songs, danced, and embraced one another.

In the 90th minute, the fifth goal brought hundreds of fans onto the field, resulting in confusion and jubilation. Supporters waved flags, flares, and cardboard copies of the Bundesliga trophy as they crowded the field. As a result of five league second-place finishes and one Champions League second-place finish, Bayer Leverkusen finally shed its reputation as a perennial runner-up.

When Alonso became Leverkusen’s coach in October 2022, the club was in the relegation zone. Alonso, a Bayern Munich player from 2015-17 and a three-time Bundesliga champion, said: “Perhaps it’s positive that another team wins in the Bundesliga, also for German football.”

We must enjoy this great joy. Our accomplishments need some time to sink in. Alonso said: “It’s a super moment, but we’ll see what happens next.” When asked about the other trophies his team may win this season, Alonso replied: “We’ll see.” “Now it’s time to celebrate.”

After Granit Xhaka scored an audacious long-range shot with 30 minutes left to make it 2-0, Victor Boniface settled Bayer Leverkusen’s nerves with the opening goal from the penalty spot. A hat trick by substitute Wirtz ended Bremen’s chances with his third goal ending the game.

Leverkusen aims to win a historic treble. On May 25, Alonso’s team will face second-division Kaiserslautern in the German Cup final in Berlin. It led West Ham 2-0 in the Europa League quarterfinal first leg.

Despite being overshadowed by larger, more famous neighboring cities, this title spotlights an industrial city of just under 170,000 people.

“We’re not in Cologne or Düsseldorf, we’re at home here,” the third line of the club song says just before kickoff. Bayer Leverkusen stands out through soccer. 120 years ago, the club was founded as a workers’ team for Bayer Pharmaceuticals. It is a rare exception in Germany, where most clubs are majority-controlled by members.

Twelfth-placed Bremen faced difficulties even before kickoff, as midfielder Naby Keita walked out after being left out of the starting lineup. Bremen created a few chances, but Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky handled them well. Freiburg won 1-0 at last-place Darmstadt thanks to Ritsu Doan’s first-half strike.

The relegation playoff spot was 12 points away for Darmstadt with five games to go. In the Bundesliga, no team has ever survived such a deficit at this point of the season.