Bundesliga leader Bayer Leverkusen, with a 16-point advantage over second-placed Bayern Munich, clinched their first-ever German championship title with five games remaining, thanks to their victory over Werder Bremen.
“The anticipation is great. It could be even greater if we had the opportunity on Sunday. It is clear that if we win, we will be champions and we must give our all. It’s about 90 minutes to achieve something very special, but it’s a match. It’s three points, it’s a clear goal, and for now, I’m not thinking too much about it,” said Xabi Alonso on Thursday during a press conference.
While the Spaniard chose to play it safe in front of journalists, he was nonetheless aware that Bayer Leverkusen was on the verge of writing a beautiful page in their history. Following yet another stunning performance against West Ham (2-0) in the Europa League – which also put them in a strong position to qualify for the semi-finals – the German club now had their sights set on the league.
The 29th matchday of the Bundesliga offered the Pillendreher the opportunity to finally materialize all the efforts made since the resumption of the season in August. Despite victories from Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart, defeating Cologne (2-0) and Eintracht Frankfurt (3-0) respectively the day before, the undefeated western German team could mathematically secure the German championship for the first time in their history with six games left in the season. With a 13-point lead over both Bayern and Stuttgart, Werkself had to win against Werder Bremen, almost assured of remaining in the league after the season, and who were on a poor streak of six winless matches (2 draws, 4 defeats). Bayer Leverkusen puts an end to years of waiting!
Under the watchful eyes of thousands of B04 supporters, gathered en masse in the stands of the BayArena, it was a revamped team led by Xabi Alonso that faced the northern outfit. From the outset, Bayer immediately took control of possession before showcasing their football prowess. Struggling, Werder were pushed into making mistakes when Julian Malatini controversially intervened on Jonas Hoffmann in their own box.
Symbolically, Victor Boniface stepped up to convert the penalty, scoring his 11th goal of the Bundesliga season (25th minute). Despite numerous opportunities through Edmond Tapsoba (29th), Jonas Hofmann (35th), or Amine Adli (38th), the North Rhine-Westphalia club couldn’t secure a lead at halftime. Continuing to press in the second half, Bayer Leverkusen extended their lead with goals from Granit Xhaka (60th) and a sublime missile from Florian Wirtz (69th). The young attacking midfielder even completed a brace (83rd) and a hat-trick (90th) towards the end of the match, prompting two pitch invasions. A 5-0 victory for Bayer Leverkusen that entertained the crowd.
Despite clinching the title, there’s no question of easing off for Xabi Alonso and his team. As they approach the decisive weeks of April and May, Leverkusen aims for a clean sweep as they still have a German Cup final to contest against Kaiserslautern in May. Additionally, the western German club can contemplate going all the way in the Europa League.
Still unbeaten in 43 matches across all competitions this season, matching the performance of Massimiliano Allegri’s Juventus in the 2011-2012 season, Leverkusen can further etch their name in history by becoming the first German club to complete a Bundesliga season without a single defeat. Additionally, there’s also a points record to chase, currently held by Bayern Munich with 91 points at the end of the 2012-2013 season. In other words, this German championship title could mark the first step towards a record-breaking season for B04.
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