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2024.05.19 17:41 GMT+8

Leverkusen become first team to finish Bundesliga season unbeaten

Updated 2024.05.19 17:41 GMT+8
CGTN

Players, manager and working staff of Bayer 04 Leverkusen celebrate winning the 2023-24 Bundesliga title at BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, May 18, 2024. /CFP

Having defeated Augsburg 2-1 at BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, on Saturday, in their final game of the 2023-24 Bundesliga campaign, Bayer 04 Leverkusen finished the season unbeaten with 28 wins and six draws, becoming the first club to do so in the history of the German top football league.

"It's an exceptional season that we've made, not just in Germany but I think in Europe," Xabi Alonso, manager of Leverkusen, said after Saturday's win. "We remember the [2003-04 Arsenal] Invincibles in the Premier League and Juventus [in Serie A in 2011-12], so we deserve this part of history in European soccer."

Winning the first Bundesliga title in club history is unlikely to be the end of Leverkusen's epic journey this season. They also remain undefeated in the DFB-Pokal and the UEFA Europa League and are hopeful of winning both. On May 22, they will play Serie A's Atalanta at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, in the Europa League final. Three days later, they will face Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

Manager Xabi Alonso of Bayer 04 Leverkusen celeberates winning the 2023-24 Bundesliga title at BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, May 18, 2024. /CFP

Though Alonso is still digesting the success of winning the Bundesliga title without a loss, he doesn't want to be distracted when there are two more trophies to go for.

"I believe it, but I need more time, and for now we don't have much time," he said. "For tomorrow we have our next big target."

VfB Stuttgart came in second in the league with 73 points after beating Borussia Monchengladbach 4-0 at home in their final Bundesliga game on Saturday. They are one point ahead of Bayern Munich, which lost to TSG Hoffenheim 4-2 on the road. Bayern finished the 2023-24 season without winning anything.

Cologne and Darmstadt were relegated to 2. Bundesliga. Bochum will compete with Dusseldorf in the relegation/promotion playoff for a spot in the top league.

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