Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
Former Spanish international, Xabi Alonso, has guided Bayer Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title in their 120-year history, ending Bayern Munich’s 11-year run as champions of the German football league.
German playmaker, Florian Wirtz, scored a hat trick as Alonso’s Leverkusen beat Werder Bremen 5-0 on Sunday to secure the club’s first-ever German league title with five games remaining. Leverkusen leads second-place Bayern Munich by 16 points.
Victor Boniface started the rout with the opening goal from the penalty spot, making it his 18th goal of the season despite a long absence due to injury.
In the second half, Granit Xhaka hit an audacious long-range shot to make it 2-0 on the hour mark following an assist from the Nigerian striker.
Werder Bremen folded after that with substitute Wirtz scoring a goal very similar to Xhaka’s four minutes later, then another on the counter in the 83rd and a third to end the game, his first career hat trick.
Fans had already stormed onto the field when Leverkusen scored its fourth goal with seven minutes to go, and the final minutes were played in thick red smoke from supporters’ pyrotechnics while players on Leverkusen’s bench clapped along to songs, danced and hugged one another.
The fifth goal in the 90th minute brought more fans onto the field — hundreds this time — and the referee ended the game amid confusion and jubilation.
Thousands of supporters crowded the field waving flags, flares and cardboard copies of the Bundesliga trophy.
Bayer Leverkusen have now gone unbeaten in 43 games this season and could potentially win two more trophies with a German Cup final and need to finish off West Ham after a 2-0 first leg to advance to the semi-final stage in the Europa League.
