Bayer Leverkusen mathematically won its first German championship title this Sunday, for the 29th round, ending the hegemony of Bayern Munich, winner of the previous eleven editions.
Without losing a single game this season, in any of the competitions, Spanish coach Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen flew straight towards the title and, after beating Werder Bremen at their BayArena, have a 16 point advantage over Bayern (2nd) and Stuttgart (3rd). ), who can no longer reach it.
Bayer Leverkusen only depended on themselves to be champions this Sunday, in front of their fans, and they didn’t let this first chance slip away, sparking a party in their stadium. The fans invaded the field in the last moments of the match, before the final whistle, triggering scenes of chaos in which stadium employees were unable to contain their euphoria for the game to end.
Florian Wirtz’s goals in the 83rd and 90th minutes led to massive invasions of the field. The last moments of the match were also played in a red haze due to the smoke from the flares that Leverkusen’s ultras lit behind one of the goals. Before that, Wirtz had scored another goal in this match. Bayer Leverkusen’s first were created by Nigerian Victor Boniface and Swiss Granit Xhaka.
“It’s impossible to describe. Personally, I can’t understand what we did. I had to go back to the dressing room to clear my head. We’ve already started the party with the fans,” Wirtz told DAZN.
It was the 43rd unbeaten game in this dream season for Bayer Leverkusen, who have recorded spectacular numbers, with 38 wins and five draws.
And the Werskelf party (‘Factory Eleven’, nickname given to the club founded by the chemical and pharmaceutical company Bayer in 1904) could continue in the coming weeks. In the Europa League, the team will face West Ham on Thursday, in London, in the second leg of the quarter-finals, after winning 2-0 in the first leg.
In the German Cup, Leverkusen will be the big favorite in the final on May 25th, in Berlin, against Kaiserlautern, a team from the Second Division. The tournament final will be played three days after the Europa League final in Dublin, in what could be the apotheosis of an unforgettable season.
Underdog at the start of the season
Few would have bet at the start of the season that Bayer Leverkusen would be Bundesliga champions. The team was seen as ‘outsiders’ and carrying the weight of their particular history of misfortunes, which earned them the humorous nickname “Neverkusen” (from the English word “never”, never) due to their inability to take advantage of favorable situations to become champions. , as happened in 2000 and 2002, mainly.
But the impact was spectacular and also coincided with a very irregular Bayern Munich team, which had just four points in the last 12 in dispute, which anticipated the mathematical achievement of the national title.
In the second part of the season, Leverkusen lost some of its solidity in games, but the results remained positive. In six games since January, the team needed to score goals in stoppage time to reverse a negative situation, with five wins and one draw. The “luck of champions”, as the press has highlighted in recent weeks.
Continuity of Xabi Alonso
At 42 years old, Xabi Alonso is the big winner of the season among European coaches. He arrived at Leverkusen last season and took the team from 17th to 6th place, qualifying for the Europa League. The Basque coach has managed to convey an attractive playing philosophy, without neglecting defensive solidity.
His success attracted interest from the continent’s biggest clubs, including Liverpool and Bayern Munich, two of the teams he played for. Both are looking for replacements for Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel, whose departure in June was already announced, but Alonso ended up deciding to stay at his current club next season.
The question now is whether Bayer Leverkusen’s reign in Germany will continue or this title was just a one-off episode. Only time will tell, especially considering that Bayern Munich will compete next season with wounded pride and eager for revenge.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
