Bayer Leverkusen only loses when the referee blows the whistle. Not even coach Xabi Alonso can explain the last-minute madness. The triple is now the clear goal.
That was almost a bit too much, even for all-time winner Xabi Alonso. When the Bayer Leverkusen coach came to the podium for the press conference after midnight after the next last-minute madness and the final in the Europa League, the eloquent man of the world was struggling for words. “Incredible. I’m a bit speechless,” said the Spaniard after the 2-2 draw against AS Roma and an hour and a half of celebrations and TV interviews. And somehow he always has to say “the same thing”.
But the Leverkusen team love drama in this unique season. And it is actually déjà vu when they score in stoppage time of a game they thought they had lost and extend their incredible series again. Josip Stanisic’s equalizer in the 90th + 7th minute. Minute on Thursday, the 15th competitive goal was after the 90th minute. “It’s hard to explain. It’s unbelievable that it happens over and over again,” said Alonso: “Normally on such a long journey there is a defeat at some point.” But almost nothing is normal about his team this season.
Leverkusen with a series for the record books
As a player, Alonso has won everything. He won 18 titles, was world champion and twice European champion and Champions League winner. But he celebrated Thursday’s success with a cheering run, a few excited jumps and a dance in front of the north curve in an unusually emotional and exuberant manner. Because he has never experienced such a series of 49 competitive games without defeat. Of course not. Because there has never been a series like this in European football. From December 1963 to February 1965, Benfica Lisbon managed 48 games across all competitions without defeat and, according to the Bundesliga, has held a record so far. Now this also belongs to Leverkusen, who have collected almost countless small and large records over the course of this season.
The treble is now finally within Bayer’s grasp given the championship and two finals. But the team also derives incredible motivation from chasing the series. After the 2-0 win in Rome, the 1-2 win on Thursday after two penalties against Bayer and a Roman own goal would have been enough for Leverkusen to reach the final. After the goal that was actually a relief, his team “didn’t always go down in stoppage time and act as if we were injured,” said midfield strategist Granit Xhaka with a tip against the Romans and their behavior after the 2-0: “We would have been brutally disappointed if we had gone further and lost. Because we definitely wouldn’t have deserved that.”
Alonso: “The 1:2 was enough, but the players wanted more”
It is precisely this “unbelievable mentality” (Xhaka) that sets Leverkusen apart in this fabulous season. But because this thinking involves a certain risk with a sufficient result in a European Cup semi-final, Alonso followed it with mixed feelings. “To be honest: I no longer had any influence on my team at that moment,” he admitted openly: “It was a somewhat strange situation. The 1:2 was enough, but the players wanted more. I couldn’t do it anymore check.” His substitution in the 90th minute was “certainly intended more defensively,” said Stanisic. But he stormed forward and scored with pure will. At least his team had “a good feeling and good control,” said Alonso graciously.
And after all, he had taken a risk himself. Because Juwel Florian Wirtz shouldn’t have played at all because of thigh problems. “He couldn’t walk properly. He limped,” said his trainer. But Wirtz “absolutely wanted to help” the team. Alonso brought him down with the score 0-2 in the 81st minute with the threat of elimination in sight. “It was a bit of a risk,” he said. “But we needed something special. A pass, a dribble. Something different. That’s why I took that risk. And it worked.” Although Wirtz wasn’t directly involved in both goals, he was still the one who brought about the turning point. “Even with 70 percent, Flo is still a good player,” noted Alonso.
“Two finals in the last week is the biggest success”
In the Bundesliga, where Bayer returns to the scene of their last defeat almost exactly a year ago in Bochum on Sunday (7.30 p.m./DAZN) in the 50th game, and against Augsburg, Wirtz will be allowed to rest. Because he will be needed in the finals of the Europa League on May 22nd in Dublin against Atalanta Bergamo and in the DFB Cup three days later in Berlin against 1. FC Kaiserslautern. It will be an incredible week for Leverkusen, who have been without a title for 31 years, accompanied by the handover of the championship trophy on May 18th and the official season-ending ceremony with an expected 80,000 fans on May 26th.
“The fact that we have two finals in the last week is the greatest success,” said Alonso: “City was in a situation like this last year. But only a few have that.” Manchester won the treble last year. Leverkusen can now repeat that, albeit with the Europa instead of the Champions League. “After this big victory, our goal is to win three titles,” Alonso said clearly. And appealed to his team to pull through now. “We don’t want to stop. There’s one more game and another,” he said. “Maybe after the cup final we’ll say we’ll stop and go on holiday.” Perhaps.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
