Bayer Leverkusen’s wonderful streak has no end. Xabi Alonso’s team won against Bochum by 0-5 and reached 50 games without losing, all of the season. After achieving the unbeaten record in European football on Thursday by drawing in agonizing fashion against Roma in the second leg of the Europa League semi-finals, the Bundesliga champion has no brakes. They have only three games left to finish the season without defeat. If he does so he would raise his unbeaten streak to 53.
Namely, they still have to play the last day of the Bundesliga, in which they host Augsburg, with the possibility of closing the championship without starting the chapter of setbacks. Then, on May 22 they will face Atalanta in the Europa League final and on May 25 they will fight for the German Cup against Kaiserslautern. Xabi Alonso’s fairy tale is still valid.
In Bochum he passed another test as he visited the stadium where he suffered his last defeat in an official match. It was on May 27, 2023 by a resounding 3-0. Things have changed a lot since then for this unstoppable Bayer.
In his streak of 50 games he has had 41 wins and 9 draws. They have not been able to beat him either in the Bundesliga or in Europe or in the Cup. Neither in the regularity tournament nor in the leagues nor in dog-eat knockouts. Many times with authority and other times at the limit, Leverkusen has always remained standing. Much of the blame for this tremendous streak lies with the faith and conviction with which he has performed. Up to 12 goals in added time have been scored by Xabi Alonso, three of them in the 97th minute and another in the 96th.
On the Bochum field he did not have to suffer as much or even much less. The local team needed a point to certify his permanence but his entire plan fell apart when Passlack was justly sent off after barely a quarter of an hour into the game.
From that moment on, the champion’s dominance was overwhelming. He did not need to generate a flood of chances to advance. The first goal fell under his own weight and was signed by Schick in the 41st minute. Before, Xhaka could have opened the scoring but his shot hit the crossbar.
In case there was any doubt about the direction the game was taking, Leverkusen’s lead increased on the stroke of half-time. The 0-2 was achieved when Boniface calmly converted a clear penalty. In the second half came the third, fourth and fifth of the afternoon. A header from Adli, a shot from Stanisic and a goal from Grimaldo completed the result.
The aspirin team has already made plenty of history but in the three remaining games they have at hand to add two more titles to close the season with a triplet and the no less ambitious objective of being able to say that throughout the 2023-2024 financial year He did not have to taste the bitter taste of defeat.
