bundesliga

Bayer Leverkusen beat Werder Bremen to win the Bundesliga!

14.04.2024

Florian Wirtz hit a hat-trick as Bayer Leverkusen romped past Werder Bremen and to the Bundesliga title with a 5-0 victory.

Bayer Leverkusen 5-0 Werder Bremen
Goals: 1-0 Boniface 25' (pen.), 2-0 Xhaka 60' (assist: Boniface), 3-0 Wirtz 68' (assist: Andrich), 4-0 Wirtz 83' (assist: Palacios), 5-0 Wirtz 90' (assist: Grimaldo)

Wins for Bayern Munich and Stuttgart on Saturday meant Leverkusen needed three points against Bremen to confirm their inevitable status as champions on Matchday 29, and Die Werkself were in no mood to delay the celebrations. Xabi Alonso's men were dominant from the off, and could have been in front within the opening 10 minutes had Michael Zetterer not produced a huge stop to deny Piero Hincapié at the back post. The hosts continued to probe, and midway through the half, they were given a huge opportunity to break the deadlock when Julián Malatini hauled down Jonas Hofmann in the penalty area. From the subsequent spot-kick, Victor Boniface made no mistake, burying into the corner despite Zetterer diving the right way. The visiting shot-stopper was in fine form, denying Jonathan Tah and Boniface during a goalmouth scramble to keep the deficit to one strike at the break. Offensively, meanwhile, Bremen offered next to nothing as they struggled to exert pressure on their opponents.

As if to underline his squad's incredibly depth, Alonso introduced Florian Wirtz at the interval as he looked to put the game to bed. The first shot on target on the match, and Bremen's first of the match, fell to Leonardo Bittencourt, but it was straight at Lukáš Hrádecký. The next effort to trouble either goalkeeper came courtesy of Granit Xhaka's left boot and, in contrast to Bittencourt's attempt, it nestled into the corner - a delightful was to give Leverkusen extra breathing space. Not to be outdone, Wirtz was next to get himself on the scoresheet with an effort every bit as eye-catching as his Swiss teammate, firing an effort over Zetterer's head from outside the area. The remaining 20 minutes or so were a formality, and Wirtz netted two more strikes late on to complete his hat-trick as Leverkusen basked in the glory of this historic achievement. This was the final cherry on what has been an outstanding season - it was always going to take something special to end Bayern's 11-year dominance, and the North-Rhine Westphalia outfit have truly delivered. Now, there is just an unbeaten season and treble to chase - more history may be just around the corner!

Match stats

Boniface found the back of the net for the first time in the Bundesliga this calendar year.
Leverkusen have set a Bundesliga record for the longest unbeaten start to a season at 29 games.
They have taken the lead in 24 matches this term and have gone on to win every single one of them.
Wirtz's three strikes mean he has now reached double figures for goals and assists this term in the German top flight (11 goals, 10 assists) - the first player to do so.
His trio of efforts was also his first in his senior career.
Leverkusen have now scored 74 goals in the Bundesliga this season, which is a club record after 29 fixtures.

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Teams

Leverkusen: Hrádecký (c) - Kossounou, Tah - Tella (Frimpong 62'), Andrich, Xhaka (Palacios 77'), Hincapié (Grimaldo 77') - Hofmann, Adli (Wirtz 46') - Boniface (Schick 62')
Unused subs: Kovář, Stanišić, Arthur, Puerta
Out: Hložek (ankle)
Coach: Xabi Alonso

Bremen: Zetterer - Malatini, Groß, Veljković - Weiser, Schmid, Lynen, Bittencourt (Hansen-Aaröen 77'), Agu (Deman 69') - Woltemade (Kownacki 69'), Ducksch (c)
Unused subs: Haesler, Röcker, Opitz, Kownacki, Imasuen
Out: Alvero (calf), Friedl (suspended), Jung (suspended), Njinmah (hip), Pavlenka (muscular) Pieper (ankle), Stage (suspended), Stark (ankle)
Coach: Ole Werner