Bayer Leverkusen are the first team to go unbeaten in the Bundesliga after beating Augsburg 2-1 on Saturday.
Xabi Alonso’s men picked up their 28th win of the season, with goals from Victor Boniface and Robert Andrich sealing the win.
Leverkusen also drew six games unbeaten, finishing the season with 90 points. Only Bayern Munich, the 2012-2013 champions, have recorded more (91) in the Bundesliga era.
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Bayern, on the other hand, finished third after a 4-2 defeat at Hoffenheim. Stuttgart’s 4-0 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach saw them move one point above Thomas Tuchel’s side. It’s the first time Bayern have failed to finish in the top two in the standings. The most sensible German flight since 2010-11.
Leverkusen are also unbeaten in all competitions this campaign, reaching the German Cup final and Europa League. Alonso challenged his team to take advantage of their “unique” situation.
He said: “Hitting 90 numbers is incredibly strong. The record is 91, we just missed it, but to be undefeated is extraordinary. “
“This achievement is exceptional, only in Germany but also in Europe. Starting tomorrow we have our next big goals in sight; Next week will be exclusive to those opportunities.
“The fans can celebrate today. We’ll enjoy it and tomorrow.
“It’s a vital day for the club and it’s well deserved for unbeaten champions, unbelievable, so we’re going to want a bit of time to get a feel for it.
“Our team is part of the history of the Bundesliga. 20 years from now, we’ll look back and we’ll all be able to say, “Wow, we were there. “
Earlier this month, Leverkusen’s 2-2 draw with Roma in the Europa League semi-finals left the German unbeaten for 49 matches and broke the record for the longest unbeaten run by a European club since the advent of UEFA club competitions in 1955.
Leverkusen’s run began with an 8-0 against FC Teutonia Ottensen in the German Cup on 12 August and surpassed Portuguese club Benfica’s record of 48 consecutive matches without defeat from December 1963 to February 1965.
This legendary Benfica, led by Eusebio, won the League and the Portuguese Cup in their unbeaten streak.
Under Alonso, Leverkusen remained unbeaten in 34 Bundesliga matches, five German Cup games and 12 Europa League matches, winning 42 of them.
Their good luck puts them on the verge of a hat-trick. They have already clinched the Bundesliga title, ending Bayern’s stranglehold for 11 seasons. They will face Kaiserslautern in the German Cup final on May 25 and Atalanta in the Europa League final on May 22.
GO FURTHER
How Bayer Leverkusen won the Bundesliga: Alonso’s magic, breaking cliques and signings
(Hesham Elsherif/Anadolu Getty Images)