BERLIN — Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen battled past second division Kaiserslautern 1-0 on Saturday to win the German Cup and secure the club's first ever domestic double.
Leverkusen missed out on a treble after losing 3-0 to Atalanta in the Europa League final on Wednesday in their first defeat of the season after a European record 51-game unbeaten run.
Atalanta have done what no team had accomplished all season: they defeated Bayer Leverkusen. A historic Ademola Lookman hat trick vs Leverkusen paired with terrific defending was enough to secure Atalanta’s 3-0 victory and their first European trophy.
This was Atalanta’s first major trophy since winning the Coppa Italia in 1963. The Italian underdogs lost in the Coppa Italia final to Juventus this season but bounced back with an even larger reward.
LEVERKUSEN — Bayer Leverkusen staged a stunning late comeback to move into the Europa League final with a 2-2 draw at home against AS Roma on Thursday as they won 4-2 on aggregate and set the longest unbeaten run in all competitions including European matches.
Bundesliga champions Leverkusen, who have also reached this month's German Cup final as they chase a treble, played their 49th match without defeat to surpass Benfica's record set from 1963–65 but they had to battle for the second leg draw.
49 GAMES
LEVERKUSEN — Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen scored a last-gasp equalizer through Robert Andrich to come from two goals down and get a 2-2 draw against VfB Stuttgart on Saturday that extended their record unbeaten run to 46 matches across all competitions.
The Germany international slotted in from eight meters after Florian Wirtz had floated a free kick into the box, to complete their latest comeback after also scoring a stoppage-time goal to snatch a 1-1 draw against Borussia Dortmund last week.
Late Leverkusen goal vs Stuttgart
DORTMUND — Bayer Leverkusen's Josip Stanisic scored a stoppage-time goal for the champions to rescue a 1-1 Bundesliga draw at Borussia Dortmund on Sunday, sparing Xabi Alonso's side from suffering their first loss of the season.
Striker Niclas Füllkrug gave Dortmund the lead in the 81st minute but Stanisic levelled for Leverkusen in the seventh minute of stoppage time, heading home a Florian Wirtz corner.
Stanisic goal vs Dortmund
Star Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels couldn’t resist poking fun at the Premier League’s woes in Europe this week as four different EPL teams crashed out of their respective competitions.
Arsenal and Manchester City both suffered quarterfinal exits in the Champions League while Liverpool and West Ham fell short in the Europa League.
EPL fans have mocked the Bundesliga and other leagues for years now with the term “farmer’s league.” The joke is an insult about the league not being competitive as one team always wins it and overall, the league being worse.
This is history, ladies and gentlemen.
Bayer Leverkusen put the cherry-on-top to their momentarily-undefeated season and claimed the crown of the Bundesliga after defeating Werder Bremen 5-0 at home on Sunday.
The club managed by Spain legend Xabi Alonso became the first team other than Bayern Munich to win the German Bundesliga since Borussia Dortmund in the 2010-11 campaign, breaking the club’s 11-year reign as champions.
MUNICH — Bayern Munich's Bundesliga title hopes all but evaporated after a 2-0 home loss to Borussia Dortmund on Saturday left them 13 points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen with seven games remaining.
Bayern, winners of the previous 11 league crowns, were inefficient in attack and their first shot on goal came late in the second half, with usually deadly striker Harry Kane having earlier missed their best chances.
LEVERKUSEN — Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen scored twice late in the game with Robert Andrich and Patrik Schick to earn a 2-1 comeback win over Hoffenheim on Saturday and edge closer to the league title.
Leverkusen, unbeaten in 39 matches across all competitions this season, are on 73 points with seven games. Bayern Munich, who face Borussia Dortmund later on Saturday, are second on 60.
Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso ended speculation of a potential move to one of his former clubs Liverpool or Bayern Munich in the close season when the Spaniard said on Friday that he was committed to staying with the Bundesliga leaders.
Alonso, who has a contract with Leverkusen until 2026, has become the talk of Europe and a reported target for top clubs after leading his team through an unbeaten season while challenging for three trophies.