Germany,
Saturday, 18 May, 2024
Bayer Leverkusen became the first side in Bundesliga history to complete an undefeated season as Die Werkself beat Augsburg on the final day, taking their all-time European record unbeaten streak to a remarkable 51 matches across all competitions.
History beckoned amidst a party atmosphere at the BayArena, with the home fans eagerly anticipating watching their history-making squad lift the Meisterschale after FT.
Manager Xabi Alonso has insisted the parties will have to wait until after their two cup finals in the next week, with his determination to complete an invincible season clear from the strength of his team selection.
Leverkusen didn’t have things their own way early on however, as they struggled to break down Augsburg’s low block.
That all changed when the visitors’ stand-in goalkeeper Tomáš Koubek inexplicably squandered possession inside his 18-yard box, with Amine Adli – the man who won the ball back – unselfishly squaring for Victor Boniface to do the honours into an empty net.
That lead was doubled before the half-hour in flamboyant fashion by Robert Andrich, who delicately flicked home the loose ball after Jonathan Tah’s effort was blocked.
Guarding against complacency was the order of the day for Leverkusen after the break, but after surviving a couple of warnings, 18-year-old Mert Kömür punished the champions with a delightful curling finish – his first in the Bundesliga – which halved the deficit.
That opened the game up, with Patrik Schick and Andrich both coming close to restoring the hosts’ two-goal lead, before Koubek made a tremendous save to deny Granit Xhaka.
Florian Wirtz was next to be denied, as Koubek’s outstretched hand denied the German midfielder an open goal.
To their credit, Augsburg continued to offer a threat at the other end, but the Bundesliga’s best defence held firm as they closed out the most incredible of Bundesliga campaigns with yet another victory.
The UEFA Europa League final in Dublin in midweek now beckons, as Leverkusen look to close out a treble of trophies that would write their name into football’s history books.