Undisputed champions in Germany, Bayer Leverkusen suffered their first defeat in the 2023/24 season. Wednesday’s setback against Atalanta cost them the Europa League title.
For Leverkusen, the number of games without losing throughout this season stopped at 51 until this final held in Ireland.
“It wasn’t our day and we have to accept it. We have to congratulate Atalanta, who deserved the victory”, admitted the coach of the German team, Spaniard Xabi Alonso.
The sequence was, in any case, historic, as no European club had ever managed to accumulate so many games without losing counting all competitions since the creation of UEFA’s European tournaments in 1955-1956.
Bayer Leverkusen’s last defeat in an official game dates back to the round that ended last season’s Bundesliga, when they lost to Bochum.
After this setback in Dublin, Leverkusen, who this year won their first German championship title, will have the mission to end the season with a national ‘double crown’. To do this, they will seek victory on Saturday against Kaiserlautern (from the 2nd division) in the German Cup final, in Berlin.
Both Leverkusen and Atalanta entered the field this Wednesday already qualified for the next Champions League.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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