Pro ShotsFlorian Wirtz, scorer of three goals in Bayer Leverkusen’s championship match.
NOS Voetbal•zondag, 19:29
Bayer Leverkusen became German champions for the first time in club history on Sunday. The club did this in style: they won 5-0 against Werder Bremen in their own stadium.
This means that Leverkusen, the team of Dutch international Jeremie Frimpong, is no longer traceable to the competition five rounds before the end.
After the final whistle the crowd was unbearable. A massive storming of the field followed, during which hat-trick hero Florian Wirtz was hoisted onto his shoulders.
Untouchable
Leverkusen has been untouchable all season: it has not lost a single match in all competitions. The championship match against Bremen was the 43rd consecutive match in which ‘Die Werkself’ remained unbeaten, thus equaling the all-time record for a club in the largest five leagues in Europe.
NOS
After pursuer Bayern Munich won on Saturday, it was clear that Leverkusen had to beat Bremen at home today to become champions. A nice scenario for the fans, who gathered early in front of the stadium and received the players bus in an impressive manner.
Always cool Alonso
Just before kick-off there were quite a few tense faces. The exception to this was the ever cool trainer Xabi Alonso, the great architect behind Leverkusen’s success. He took office in October 2022 and in a short time forged an unbeatable football machine in Leverkusen.
Alonso still had some surprises in store with his line-up. Several players who are regularly in the starting line-up now started on the bench, including Florian Wirtz, Alejandro Grimaldo and Frimpong.
ReutersAlonso after the championship match won
The players who did start then had little difficulty in putting Bremen on fire. From minute one, Leverkusen was the better, and after 24 minutes the team had an excellent opportunity to score the opening goal when Victor Boniface was allowed to take a penalty.
The Nigerian striker made no mistake from eleven meters. Boniface did not shoot the ball perfectly, but it was good enough for the 1-0.
Convincing towards championship, unstoppable fans
Backed by a comfortable 1-0 lead and an enthusiastic crowd, Leverkusen turned it into a real football party in the second half. That started with a beautiful long shot from Granit Xhaka after just under an hour of play, making it 2-0.
That goal wasn’t over yet. Substitute top talent Wirtz provided the icing on the cake by scoring a hat trick. He made it 3-0 by shooting a wonderful ball behind the goalkeeper, fifteen minutes later he also made it 4-0.
After that fourth goal, the crowd could no longer be contained and several dozen enthusiasts stormed onto the field. In doing so they gave a foretaste of the mass pitch invasion which actually took place when Wirtz completed his hat trick and made it 5-0.
ReutersThe storming of the field after winning the title
Leverkusen, after finishing second in the Bundesliga five times, can finally celebrate a championship.
The season could be even better for the club. Leverkusen is still in the race for the Europa League and will play the final of the German cup tournament against second division Kaiserslautern at the end of May.
Dutch international Frimpong pacer at Leverkusen title party
