Bayer Leverkusen wins their first Bundesliga title, ending Bayern Munich’s 11-year streak.
Bayer Leverkusen has won the German football league for the first time in its history, breaking Bayern Munich’s 11-year winning streak.
Leverkusen, coached by former Liverpool star Xabi Alonso, defeated Werder Bremen 5-0 on Sunday to easily clinch the Bundesliga title.
They are 16 points ahead of Bayern with five games still to play.
This is Leverkusen’s first trophy since winning the German Cup in 1993.
When they scored their fourth goal with seven minutes remaining, fans invaded the pitch, and the final moments were played in thick red smoke while bench players danced, clapped along to songs, and hugged one another.
The final goal, which marked German midfielder Florian Wirtz’s first career hat-trick, sparked a greater pitch invasion when the referee called the game off amid wild celebrations.
Striker Victor Boniface calmed any early worries with a penalty in the first half, and Swiss international Granit Xhaka added a long-range strike with half an hour remaining.
Leverkusen were cruel, with Wirtz scoring the last three goals in barely over 20 minutes.
The club is on track for a historic treble, leading West Ham in the Europa League and preparing to face second-tier Kaiserslautern in the German Cup final.
Bayer Leverkusen is 43 games unbeaten in all competitions, extending the Bundesliga season’s longest unbeaten streak to 29
They have a 43-game unbeaten streak in all competitions and the best unbeaten streak in a single Bundesliga season with 29 games.
When Alonso, 42, was hired coach in October 2022, the club was suffering at the bottom of the Bundesliga.
“It is a big success for the club,” he added. “The first time is memorable for everyone. We can say that we were a part of this historic day for Bayer Leverkusen. “It feels great.”
Former Arsenal player Xhaka, who captained Leverkusen, stated that it was “very, very difficult to find the right words”.
He went on to say, “This year, we did something very exceptional. This drive, this mentality of winning every game is incredible.”