Chronology The Bayer feature film about the German championship
Football: A Leverkusen fan holds a replica of the championship trophy in his hands during the game. Bayer Leverkusen wins the German championship. photo
© Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa
Since the trauma in Unterhaching alone, Bayer Leverkusen had to wait another 24 years to become German champions for the first time. The stations for the first title.
Bayer Leverkusen are German champions for the first time. 24 years after the trauma in Unterhaching and 22 years after three second places in three competitions, “Vizekusen” of all teams have ended FC Bayern’s eleven-year championship streak. The most important stations on the way to the first title:
5. October 2022
Xabi Alonso becomes the new coach of Bayer Leverkusen. The former world and European champion takes over the Werkself in 17th place in the Bundesliga.
February 23, 2023
Alonso’s start is difficult. After two 2-3 home defeats within five days against Mainz and Monaco, the Spaniard is already being viewed critically ahead of the Europa League play-off second leg in Monaco. Bayer wins on penalties. Both Alonso and sports director Simon Rolfes retrospectively describe this victory as the initial spark.
18. May 2023
Leverkusen missed the Europa League final with a 0-0 draw against AS Roma after a 0-1 draw in the first leg. Having failed so close to the end makes everyone want more in the new year. Especially since Alonso led Bayer into the Europa League.
July 6, 2023
This is a statement: Bayer is bringing Granit Xhaka back to the Bundesliga. The Swiss record player, now captain of the English almost champions Arsenal, is to become the new leader. And want that too. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have come.” One day before the official Xhaka announcement, the transfer of national player Jonas Hofmann from Gladbach became public.
2. August 2023
It was just a test match, but Rolfes and many others look back on it as a “key experience” as Bayer won 2-1 at Olympique Marseille in front of 60,000 spectators. “It felt like the European Cup,” said Rolfes. A special spirit arises.
19. August 2023
After many advance laurels as the real secret favorite this time, it’s on the first match day. And Leverkusen directly confirms every praise. Alonso’s team beat Leipzig 3-2 in an exciting game. Hofmann deliberately calls it a “statement”.
15. September 2023
After Leverkusen took the lead in the table for the first time on the third matchday, they went to Bayern on the fourth. Bayer almost always looked bad there, especially when the stakes were high. This time Leverkusen is the better team for long stretches and equalizes after a 1:2 in the 86th minute.
13 January
The last matchday of the second half of the season is the first in the new year. Bayern beat Hoffenheim 3-0 on Friday evening and moved up to one point, one game behind. Bayer held their nerve and won 1-0 in Augsburg with a goal from Exequiel Palacios in the final minute.
20 January
After being behind twice in injury time in Leipzig, everyone actually resigned themselves to a 2-2 when Piero Hinacapie pushed a corner over the line to win. The last-minute Leverkusen team are finally born.
February 6th
Four days before the top game against Bayern, the cup quarter-finals against the strong Stuttgart take place. After falling behind twice, Leverkusen won an exciting game 3-2 with a goal from Jonathan Tah in the 90th minute. Being the only Bundesliga team in the semi-finals and having their first title within reach frees up even more energy.
February 10th
Bayern are traveling to the absolute league summit with just two points behind them; if they had won, they would have moved past them. But in the 3-0 win, Leverkusen was clearly the better team over 90 minutes. A milestone on the way to the title.
the 14th of March
Karabakh Agdam will be an unexpectedly tough test in the round of 16 of the Europa League. Bayer is 0-2 behind in the first and second legs. After the 2:2 in Azerbaijan and the 3:2 at home with a total of three goals from Patrik Schick in stoppage time, the feeling of invincibility grows immeasurably.
March 30
Until the 88th minute, Leverkusen was 0-1 behind at home against Hoffenheim, but still won 2-1. This obviously impressed Bayern, who lost 2-0 to Dortmund three hours later. The lead has grown to 13 points. The final preliminary decision. Alonso later speaks of “two wins in one day”.
14. April
With a 5-0 win against Werder Bremen, the Werkself dispelled the last doubts. With five match days to go, Bayer Leverkusen can no longer be caught and are German champions for the first time.
dpa
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