The Europa League semifinal second leg ended with a 2-2 tie for Bayer Leverkusen, who have now gone 49 games without losing. Despite being down 2-0, Xabi Alonso’s team rallied for two goals in the closing minutes of the game to tie the game and break Benfica’s record of 1963–1965 for the longest winning streak in post–World War II Europe. On aggregate, the German team won 4-2 and will play Atalanta on May 22.
As per Leverkusen’s typical style, they managed to reverse two early penalties given to Roma, allowing Josip Stanisic to score the equaliser in the 97th minute of play. The team led by Xabi Alonso has previously overcome every obstacle to win the Bundesliga. In their quest to become the first team ever to go unbeaten for a whole season while competing in European competition, they can now add the German Cup and the Europa League to their list of accomplishments.
Known as “Neverkusen” because, although finishing as runners-up five times, they had never won a Bundesliga championship in their 120-year existence before to this season, they will now go by the new moniker, “Neverlusen.” They have a consistent ability to turn matches around in late-game scenarios.
Leverkusen has dominated their opponents 32–5 in all competitions since the 80th minute, and things only get better for Alonso’s team in stoppage time. Leverkusen has outscored its opponents 14-0 after the 90th minute, winning five games and drawing three more. 40 of the 49 games in their current undefeated run have been victories.
Even if this season is already among the greatest in European football history, they have the opportunity to do something unprecedented with the unbeatable treble on the line. Even if there is interest from abroad, Alonso has already committed to guiding the squad for the next season. However, the narrative is far from over, as they still have matches against Kaiserslautern in the DFB Pokal, Bochum and Augsburg in the Bundesliga, and Atalanta in the Europa League final. The end is in sight.
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