By Homero De los Angeles Fuente and George Ramsay, CNN
Bayer Leverkusen’s remarkable season took another normal turn on Thursday when a 2-2 draw against AS Roma extended the club’s unbeaten streak to 49 games.
The 4-2 aggregate win allowed Leverkusen to reach their first European final in 22 years, while Josip Stanišić’s 97th-minute goal helped the newly crowned German champions remain unbeaten this season.
Leverkusen have surpassed Portuguese Benfica’s record from 1963 to 1965, the longest unbeaten run in any top-flight match since the advent of European competitions, according to UEFA.
Leverkusen had gone into the second leg at the BayArena with a two-goal lead, that merit being cancelled out when Leandro Paredes scored twice for Roma on either side of the break.
The home side took control of the game but struggled to take advantage of several clever chances, and it wasn’t until the 82nd minute that Gianluca Mancini’s unfortunate own goal presented hopes of a comeback.
Then, in the dying moments, when the likelihood of an equaliser temporarily vanished, Stanišić made a brilliant run into the box and put the ball in the last act of the game, unleashing chaos in the packed stadium.
Late goals are common at Leverkusen, and it was the 17th time this season that the Bundesliga side scored in the 90th minute or more.
“To show that personality, that reaction after the second goal, to keep going and then come back, it’s a lot for us,” coach Xabi Alonso said after the game.
“This says a lot about the team, the conviction we have and it’s wonderful to be able, despite everything, to triumph in the final. Last year we were very close, but this year we are satisfied (to be) in the final and now we are against some other Italian team.
Leverkusen will face Atalanta in the Europa League final on May 22 in Dublin, Ireland, and have four games left to finish the season undefeated.
After ending a 31-year drought by winning its first German league title, Leverkusen can still win two more trophies this season (the Europa League and German Cup) against Atlanta and second-tier FC Kaiserslautern.
Achieving a treble of unbeaten and remaining unbeaten would indeed be one of the greatest achievements of a European football club, and Leverkusen could be the first team in Bundesliga history to go an entire season unbeaten if they win their final two league games against VfL. Bochum. and Augsburg.
According to UEFA, Scottish club Celtic’s 62-match unbeaten run between 1915 and 1917 is the all-time record for a European club, even if that includes domestic league matches.
“I get goosebumps,” Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka said after Thursday’s game. “You dream of an environment like that. You dream of games like this. When you’re a kid, you need to play in the first matches and then in the draw. Right before we finish and get to the final, it’s amazing. Now we’ll enjoy tonight.
Leverkusen, who have won 40 games and drawn nine times this season, will resume their crusade against Bochum on Sunday.
The-CNN-Wire™ and © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc. , a Warner Bros. company. All rights reserved.
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