Under the guidance of Xabi Alonso, Bayer Leverkusen clinched their first-ever Bundesliga title on Sunday, putting an end to Bayern Munich’s 11-year dominance in the league.
The victory wasn’t just a close call — Leverkusen finished a whopping 16 points ahead of second-place Bayern after maintaining an unbeaten streak of 43 games across all competitions this season.
Florian Wirtz’s hat trick propelled Leverkusen to a resounding 5-0 victory over Werder Bremen, triggering a pitch invasion as fans celebrated the historic achievement with five games still to play.
Reflecting on the win, Wirtz expressed his disbelief, stating, “It’s beyond words… I can’t fully grasp it yet.” He mentioned needing some time to process the achievement but described the joy of celebrating with fans and teammates.
As Leverkusen scored their fourth goal, fans flooded the field, and the final moments of the game were enveloped in red smoke from supporters’ pyrotechnics. The players on Leverkusen’s bench joined in the celebrations, clapping, dancing, and embracing each other in jubilation.
The fifth goal scored in the 90th minute brought even more fans onto the field, this time hundreds, leading to a mix of confusion and excitement as the referee decided to end the game. Thousands of supporters flooded the field, waving flags, lighting flares, and holding up cardboard copies of the Bundesliga trophy.
After consistently finishing as runners-up, Leverkusen has finally broken that streak with their first-ever Bundesliga title, along with one in the Champions League.
Reflecting on ending Bayern’s dominance, coach Xabi Alonso mentioned how it might be good for the Bundesliga and German football in general to see another team win. Having won three Bundesliga titles with Bayern as a player, Alonso expressed great joy at the achievement but emphasized the need to savor the moment before thinking about future trophies.
The match saw Victor Boniface, starting for the first time since December due to injury, calm Leverkusen’s nerves with an opening goal from the penalty spot. Granit Xhaka doubled the lead with an impressive long-range shot, followed by Florian Wirtz scoring a similar goal and then adding two more to complete his first career hat trick.
Leverkusen now aims for a historic treble of trophies. They are set to face second-division Kaiserslautern in the German Cup final on May 25 and hold a 2-0 lead over West Ham after the first leg of their Europa League quarterfinal.
The spotlight now shines on a smaller industrial city with just under 170,000 people, which has often been overlooked compared to its larger, more famous neighbors.
The club’s song played before the match emphasizes their home pride, stating, “Not in Cologne and Duesseldorf, no, we’re at home here.” Soccer is what sets Leverkusen apart.
Founded 120 years ago as a team for workers of the Bayer pharmaceutical giant, Leverkusen is a unique case in Germany, where most clubs are mainly owned by members under the 50+1 rule.
Before the game even started, twelfth-place Bremen faced challenges as the club accused midfielder Naby Keita of leaving the squad after being disappointed not to start. Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky handled the few chances Bremen had.
In the earlier match, Ritsu Doan’s goal in the first half secured a 1-0 victory for Freiburg against last-place Darmstadt, who are edging closer to automatic relegation.
With only 14 points, Darmstadt is now 12 points away from the relegation playoff spot with five matches remaining. No team in the Bundesliga has ever managed to overcome such a deficit at this stage of the season to avoid relegation.
