bundesliga

Legendary Bayer Leverkusen complete invincible Bundesliga season

18.05.2024

Xabi Alonso's 2023/24 champions have confirmed their place in football immortality by becoming the first-ever side to last a Bundesliga season unbeaten after a narrow final-day win over Augsburg.

Bayer L everkusen 2-1 Augsburg
Goals: 1-0 Boniface 12' (assist: Adli), 2-0 Andrich 27' (assist: Tah), 2-1 Kömür 62' (assist: Maier)

Leverkusen have not let up in the slightest since sealing the Bundesliga title, and they relished the chance to complete the campaign unbeaten. The champions soon took the kind of command we have been so used to seeing, as they passed the ball around with verve and tested the limits of the visiting defence. Their hunger to make even more history showed in the opening goal, as Amine Adli raced across to fling the ball away from the feet of hesitant goalkeeper Tomáš Koubek for Victor Boniface to tap in. Midfield general Robert Andrich added a delightful second goal, leaping to backheel a Jonathan Tah shot from a corner past Koubek. Augsburg took the ball forward at times and did not do all too much wrong but were unable to avoid going into the break two down, with Andrich going close to a second spectacular goal of the half with a fierce drive from distance that zipped just wide.

Little changed in the pattern of play after the restart as the hosts calmly played the ball around looking to add to their goal tally. Jonas Hofmann hammered an effort just over from outside the box before Adli drew a save from Koubek. Augsburg continued to seek a goal, with Arne Engels hitting a free-kick into the wall and Niklas Dorsch smashing over from distance. 18-year-old Mert Kömür then produced a magic moment on his Bundesliga debut, profiting from a loss of possession by Leverkusen in their own half to curl a drive into the top corner. The visitors almost pulled level when Ermedin Demirović tried in vain to turn a brilliant cross from Arne Maier into an empty net. That rally proved to be just an interlude to Leverkusen's dominance, however, with Andrich and Granit Xhaka both smashing chances for a third that Koubek saved, before the visiting goalkeeper did wonderfully to grab the ball from Florian Wirtz's feet before he could tap in. Despite Augsburg's best efforts, a victorious final chapter was closed on a season in which invincible Leverkusen achieved football immortality - giving the fans one more reason to cheer as they prepared to see their heroes lift the Meisterschale on the pitch.

Watch: Champions Bayer Leverkusen lift the Meisterschale!

Match stats

Leverkusen end the season on 90 points Only Bayern Munich's 2012/13 champions have recorded more (91) in the Bundesliga era.
Bayer have scored in 33 of their 34 games, whilst conceding a league-low 24 goals. Only Borussia Mönchengladbach kept them out in a 0-0 draw on Matchday 19.
All of Andrich's six goals this season have come since the start of February.
Kömür became Augsburg's youngest-ever Bundesliga goalscorer, beating Kevin Danso, who was 19 when scoring his first goal for the club in 2017 - also against Leverkusen.
Die Fuggerstädter have won just one of 13 trips to Leverkusen in the Bundesliga - last season's 2-1 win.
Augsburg's Niklas Dorsch was a Bayern youth and reserves player during Alonso's three-year playing stint at the record champions between 2014 and 2017.

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Watch: Xhaka: "This team is unbelievable"

Teams

Leverkusen: Hrádecký (c) - Kossounou, Tah, Tapsoba - Frimpong (Stanišić 82'), Andrich, Palacios (Xhaka 70'), Grimaldo (Hincapié 70') - Hofmann, Boniface (Schick 63'), Adli (Wirtz 62')
Unused subs: Kovář, Puerta, Tella, Hložek
Out: -
Coach: Xabi Alonso

Augsburg: Koubek - Pedersen, Gouweleeuw, Uduokhai, Iago - Dorsch - Breithaupt (Engels 41'), Kömür (Pep Biel 74'), Maier (Kücüksahin 90+1') - Tietz (Michel 74'), Demirović (c) (Beljo 90+1')
Unused subs: Łubik, Bauer, Hausmann, Michel
Out: Dahmen (ankle), Framberger (knee), Gumny (knee), Jensen (calf), Mbabu (suspended), Oxford (illness), Rexhbecaj (ankle), Vargas (adductor)
Coach: Jess Thorup

Watch: Alonso: "I'm really proud"