German champs Bayer Leverkusen save unbeaten run to make Europa League final, now face Bochum – the last side to beat them
- The Bundesliga champions played their record 49th match without defeat in all competitions in seeing off Roma
- They have also reached the German Cup final, and are two games away from going through the German season undefeated
Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso says his team deserve all three titles available to them this season after they qualified for the Europa League final by overcoming AS Roma on Thursday.
Leverkusen, the Bundesliga champions who have also reached the May 25 German Cup final, played their 49th match without defeat in all competitions, surpassing Benfica’s long-standing European record set from 1963 to 1965.
In typical Leverkusen fashion this season, they achieved the milestone after a late comeback from two goals down to secure a 2-2 draw at home to Roma, securing their spot in the May 22 final in Dublin by 4-2 on aggregate.
“We’ll play two finals in a week as a result,” Alonso said. “We showed great character today after their second goal. I looked my players in the eye afterwards and saw that they wanted more.
“We still have the chance to win three titles. And my boys deserve all three titles.”
No team has ever gone through a Bundesliga season unbeaten, but Leverkusen are two games away from doing just that.
