Bayer Leverkusen wins First Bundesliga title, ending Munich's 11-year reign | Xabi Alonso |

Bayer Leverkusen wins First Bundesliga title, ending Munich's 11-year reign
With five games remaining, Bayer Leverkusen defeated Werder Bremen 5-0 to clinch the Bundesliga title and claim their first-ever title. After breaking Bayern Munich's German record of 32 games without a loss in all competitions in February, Alonso's club is still unbeaten in all competitions this season.
"It feels great. I have the feeling this is not just for us, this is for so many people that have been chasing this dream for so many years," Alonso said after the game. "Past coaches are part of it as well. It is very special when it is the first time for everything, and this is the most difficult title probably."
Victor Boniface's penalty kick gave Leverkusen the lead in the 25th minute, and Granit Xhaka's long-range goal in the second half gave the team even more comfort in front of the boisterous BayArena crowd.
In the 68th minute, Florian Wirtz put the finishing touches on a fantastic goal that gave Werder Bremen goalkeeper Michael Zetterer very little chance to save it. With a few minutes left, Wirtz scored once more, sending several supporters running onto the field.
With Stuttgart and the Bavarian giants both 16 points behind, the outcome means that Bayern's run of 11 straight Bundesliga titles has ended.
This completes Leverkusen's amazing journey since Alonso became head coach in October 2022. After eight rounds of the previous season, the team was in second place; nevertheless, the former Spain international helped them to sixth place.
This season, they continued to build on that momentum thanks to the additions of Boniface, Xhaka, Jonas Hofmann, and Alejandro Grimaldo, who all settled in well and played significant roles in the team's championship victory.
"All of them, the 25 players of the squad," Alonso said when asked who deserved credit. "You need to push them and they accept that. They knew they are part of something special. We have a proper team. We change players and they deliver. That's one of the successes of this team. Each player felt they were important."
With the trophy, Leverkusen can finally shed the unwelcome "Neverkusen" label that has followed them about as Germany's consistent runners-up. They last won a trophy in 1993. They have finished second in the league five times, which is three more than any other team in the nation. They had not won the championship until this season.
But a 3-0 victory over Bayern munich in February of this season helped allay worries of a similar collapse and showed that this Leverkusen club was capable of overcoming those past worries.
Despite growing rumors that Alonso would be joining Bayern, who are parting ways with Thomas Tuchel at the end of the season, and Liverpool, whose manager Jurgen Klopp is leaving after nearly nine years in charge, Alonso declared in March that he will stay as the team's head coach for the upcoming campaign.
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