Confidence, for better or worse, is often decisive in high-performance sport. There are many cases in which teams are discussed. “losers” o “winners” in certain extreme situations. An example of this second group, without a doubt, is the Bayer Leverkusen and his dream 2023/24 season. Eye: He had anxiety, he walked along the ledge several times to maintain his undefeated, but came to 49 meetings this Thursday, after another goal in injury time. Was the twelfth opportunity that converted after 90 minutesto win or draw, as happened against Roma of Italy, which beat them 2-0 with 10 minutes remaining in the rematch of the semifinals of the Europa League.
Real Madrid is also placed within this subgroup, Joselu’s agonizing double to come back in the series against Bayern Munich was another sign that “this is how Madrid wins”. Maybe that ‘merengue’ aura could have been transposed Xabi Alonsothe father of the creature who, until now, is invincible in soccer fights.
“He’s going to tie it”, was heard and read in every group of friends who commented on Leverkusen’s discount against Roma, which until then was enough for them to reach the final of the Europa League, thanks to that unusual goal against captain Mancini. The thing is the honor of the Bundesliga champion was at stake and an undefeated man who aspired to surpass the Benfica of Portugalowner of the record alone until last weekend, with 48 meetings between 1963 and 1965 in all competitions, including European tournaments.
Of course, it was not another of those football sentences that, if they pass, allow us to show off how much someone knows about football, but if they are ‘wrong’ they go unnoticed. He had a basis, a statistic that allowed him to anticipate what was going to happen and that can only be explained with two words: football and confidence.
Then, the great goal from the side Josip Stanisic as if he were an offensive winger accustomed to hooking inside the area with one leg and finishing with the other, he does not attract attention. If Leverkusen never lost in the 49 games it played in the season in three different competitions, in which it still aspires to three stars, it was because it generated a winning lineage. And he proved it, nothing more and nothing less, than 12 times. A curiosity? Eight of those were in the last two months, the most determining moment of the sporting year.
September 15, 2023: Bayern Munich 2 – Leverkusen 2
It was a crazy ending at the Allianz Arena for matchday 4 of the Bundesliga. Because the Bavarians took the lead thanks to Leon Goretzka at 86, but the Argentine Exequiel Palacios He appeared with his nerves of steel to convert a penalty in the 94th minute.
November 9, 2023: Qarabag 0 vs Leverkusen 1
For the fourth day of group H of the Europa League, the second UEFA tier, Alonso’s men had to travel to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. At the Tofiq Bakhramov stadium, Leverkusen found victory against Karabagh at 94 minutes: paradoxically, it was again a penalty, although in this case the person in charge of executing it was Victor Boniface.
January 13, 2024: Augsburg 0 – Leverkusen 1
Already in 2024, the streak of agonizing goals did not stop. And went again the world champion Palacios the protagonist of the triumph, at 94 minutes. The one who emerged from River appeared in the center of the area to receive the ball, control with his right and finish with his left foot, from point-blank range. It was date 17, the last of the first round of the Bundesliga.
January 20, 2024: Leipzig 2 – Leverkusen 3
A week later, at the start of the second round, history repeated itself. It was another South American, the Ecuadorian Piero Hincapiéthe hero of a Leverkusen team that lost twice and won it in the 91st minute.
February 6, 2024: Leverkusen 3 – Stuttgart 2
If he still has the chance of a triplet of titles, a miracle would also have to appear in the German Cup. It was against Stuttgart, in his stadium, when Jonathan Tah He appeared at 90 to make it 3-2 that qualified him for the semifinals.
March 7 and 14, 2024: Leverkusen eliminates Qarabag
In this case, both games of the series are united, because it was clearly a turning point in the season. In both matches, Xabi Alonso’s men scored goals in injury time, with the addition that both were not only to save the undefeated team, but also to qualify for the quarterfinals of the Europa League.
In the first leg, again in Azerbaijan, a two-goal comeback crystallized in the 92nd: Patrick Schick unleashed the delirium of the German team. But it was not going to be the only contribution of the Czech Republic striker.
In the rematch, a week later, the same attacker was sent onto the field by Alonso at the most critical moment: Qarabag had converted the 1-0 lead and put his perfect season at risk.
Schick not only converted the 2-2 tie in the 93rd minute, which at that time stretched the definition into overtime, but also produced a great celebration when he scored his team’s third goal in the 97th minute.
March 30, 2024: Leverkusen 2 – Hoffenheim 1
The next station the trust train stopped at the BayArena and it already seemed impossible to stop. And if, The one who came out was Schick again.that at 91 certified the comeback victory. An extra information? At 88 minutes, Leverkusen had achieved the tie through Robert Andrich.
April 18 and 24, 2024: Leverkusen eliminates West Ham
In April, with the first Bundesliga in its history on the showcase, it became commonplace. Jonas Hofmann (83′) y Victor Boniface (91′) they put the European qualification on track against the British team with an agonizing victory in the first leg, on April 11, and a week later, when the English were looking to tie the series (the aggregate was already 1-2), Frimpong converted 89 minutes and extended the undefeated lead.
April 21, 2024: Borussia Dortmund 1 – Leverkusen 1
Once again in the Bundesliga and against a ‘big’, Leverkusen stood up. Borussia Dortmund seemed determined to break the streak with a goal near the end, but Leverkusen were immaculate: Josip Stanisic tied the match at Signal Iduna Park.
April 27, 2024: Leverkusen 2 – Stuttgart 2
It was Andrich’s turn again for the Bundesliga: at 96′ he scored the final 2-2 against Stuttgart, after going 0-2 down in the middle of the second half. He was already a Bundesliga champion a long time ago, but he still had a plan to finalize.
The last chapter of this saga occurred this Thursday, against Roma, who had gone ahead due to two penalties converted by Argentine Leandro Paredes.
Leverkusen has left four games y three objectives: German Cup titles (Kaiserslauten), the Europa League (Atalanta of Italy) and the historic perfect season for a team that doesn’t seem to have a ceiling… or losses.
2024-05-10 09:05:28
#scored #goals #injury #time #extend #spectacular #undefeated #record
