bundesliga

Bayer Leverkusen go 50 unbeaten with Bochum rout

13.05.2024

Bayer Leverkusen extended their European record unbeaten run to 50 competitive matches with a routine win over 10-man Bochum.

Bochum 0-5 Bayer Leverkusen
Goals: 0-1 Schick 41' (assist: Arthur), 0-2 Boniface (pen. 45'+2), 0-3 Adli 76' (assist: Hofmann), 0-4 Stanišić 86' (assist: Adli), 0-5 Grimaldo 90'+3 (assist: Stanišić)
Sent off: Passlack (15')

Needing a point to secure their top-flight status for another year, Bochum set out to unsettle the Leverkusen defence with balls into the box in the opening exchanges, but their best-laid plans went awry in the 15th minute when Felix Passlack was sent off for bringing down Nathan Tella as the last man. After Granit Xhaka struck the crossbar from range, Leverkusen made their numerical advantage count as Patrik Schick expertly steered in Arthur's left-wing cross from inside the Bochum area. Victor Boniface doubled his side's lead moments later, the Nigerian beating Manuel Riemann from the penalty spot after Keven Schlotterback had brought down the lively Tella.

Riemann blocked with an outstretched boot to prevent Schick adding his second soon after the restart. Boniface then grazed the outside of the upright with a ferocious rising strike from 18 yards. Bochum talisman Kevin Stöger returned fire with a long-range attempt that whistled just past the far post, before a deflection took a Robert Andrich strike wide at the other end. The shot count rose further still as Schick dragged wide on the turn and Riemann thwarted Xhaka. The Bochum keeper was at it again in the 75th minute to parry from Amine Adli, though the Bayer substitute succesfully converted from the resultant corner. Edmond Tapsoba had a goal ruled out and Hofmann poked wide, before Josip Stanišić and Alejandro Grimaldo added the gloss to move Leverkusen one home game with Augsburg from becoming the first team to go an entire Bundesliga season unbeaten.

Match stats

Bochum were the last team to beat Leverkusen, winning 3-0 on the final day of last season, 351 days ago.
Leverkusen have scored 34 competitive goals after the 86th minute in 2023/24.
Schick scored his seventh Bundesliga goal of the season; Boniface his 13th.
Bayer's 45 points on the road is the second-most of all time in a single campaign, behind Bayern Munich's 47 in 2012/13.
Lukáš Hrádecký has kept a league-high 15 clean sheets in this season's Bundesliga.
Leverkusen are only the second top-six team to win in Bochum in 2023/24, after RB Leipzig.

Watch: Xabi Alonso targets unbeaten treble finish

Line-ups

Bochum: Riemann - Passlack, Ordets, Schlotterbeck, Bernardo (Mašović 46') - Losilla (c) (Bero 61'), Osterhage - Asano (Oermann 20'), Stöger, Wittek - Hofmann (Daschner 61')
Unused subs: Luthe, Gamboa, Loosli, Antwi-Adjei, Broschinski
Out: Esser (knee), Förster (hip), Kwarteng (knee), Thiede (broken finger), Tolba (knee)
Coach: Heiko Butscher

Leverkusen: Hrádecký (c) - Kossounou (Hofmann 63'), Tah, Tapsoba - Stanišić, Xhaka (Puerta 79'), Andrich, Arthur - Tella (Grimaldo 79'), Schick (Borja Iglesias 68'), Boniface (Adli 68')
Unused subs: Kovář, Hincapié, Frimpong, Palacios
Out: Wirtz (thigh)
Coach: Xabi Alonso