Gala in record-breaking season
Leverkusen against Bremen from 17.30 LIVE
Bayer Leverkusen's long wait has come to an end: on Sunday evening, the Werkself clinched its first championship title in the German Bundesliga with a 5:0 home win against Werder Bremen.
This means that after eleven consecutive titles won by Bayern Munich, there is once again another champion. Like third-placed VfB Stuttgart, Munich are 16 points behind first place with five rounds to go, with 15 points still up for grabs.
38th win
For Leverkusen, it was win number 38 in their 43rd competitive match of the season, with no defeats to date. Therefore, a team could not be more deserving at the top. Victor Boniface scored the opening goal in the 25th minute with a converted foul penalty. It was the 23-year-old Nigerian's eleventh goal of the season. Amine Adli was then unlucky with a shot off the crossbar (38'). Bremen had one or two chances without suspended defender Marco Friedl, who recently became a father for the first time, but with Romano Schmid in the starting eleven, the team was too harmless overall.
The home side's second goal was in the air several times before it finally arrived after an hour. Granit Xhaka finally brought the atmosphere in the stadium to a boil with a left-footed shot after Boniface's pass. Florian Wirtz (68, 83, 90) then added his name to the scoresheet three times. The first Leverkusen fans had already run onto the pitch after the fourth goal, and after the fifth there were many more, whereupon the referee dispensed with stoppage time and blew the final whistle.
Storming the pitch at the end
Leverkusen's masterpiece in the 29th round is the third earliest in league history. Only Bayern had twice (27th and 28th round) brought about a decision earlier. The Leverkusen supporters had already welcomed their team, who had only finished sixth last season, with firecrackers, New Year's Eve rockets and loud chants when they arrived at the stadium, and the wave of euphoria reached a new peak after the final whistle, with the crowds storming the pitch. Many fans had already stocked up on unofficial championship paraphernalia such as T-shirts and caps, which had been sold in large quantities before the game.
There were selfies, hugs and kisses in the crowd, and many players needed some time to find their way into the catacombs. By then at the latest, the official champions' shirts could be slipped on. "It's indescribable. I can't even realize it personally yet. You can't imagine something like this," said Wirtz. The nickname "Vizekusen", which has stuck to the club since the beginning of the millennium, has now become "Meisterkusen". Thanks above all to coach Xabi Alonso, who took over the club on October 5, 2022 in 17th place in the table and has finally turned it into a top team this season.
"It's something special for everyone to win their first championship, it's a great joy. Maybe it's also healthy for the Bundesliga and German soccer that someone else becomes champion again," said the Spaniard. He still needs time to realize the first milestone of a still young coaching career. There was no ban on celebrations for his players, even though the quarter-final second leg of the Europa League awaits next Thursday. "Now is the time to celebrate, they've earned it. Next week will be a different story."
Here are the best fan pictures of the day:
With the Cup final and the Europa League, where they will fight for promotion in the quarter-finals on Thursday, there are two more big title chances. The year 2024 could therefore go down in club history, and not just because of the premier league title.
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