Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen is looking sweet and continues to stretch its unbeaten status through impossible comebacks. After making history with the conquest of their first Bundesliga, the Germans are already on their way to the treble after drawing 2-2 against Roma with the umpteenth goal in extremis it’s from the season. Atalanta will be the rival to beat in what will be the second European final in their history, while in the race for the German Cup they are clear favorites against Kaiserslautern. Stanišić’s goal in the 97th minute extends the undefeated status of the modest Rhineland team in all competitions to 49 games, overcoming what until this Thursday was the great unbeaten streak in modern football (since the creation of UEFA in 1954): the 48 games that Eusèbio’s Benfica remained unbeaten at the beginning of the 60s.
The feat places Leverkusen at the top of the select club of “invincible” teams in the history of football, and all this with a squad and a budget far from the elite. To find their last defeat, we must go back to May 27, 2023, when Bochum beat the current German champion 3-0 on the last day of the last Bundesliga.
When talking about unbeaten streaks, a distinction must be made between the series that compute the number of consecutive games without losing in the national league, and those that take into account all competitions. Additionally, the level of the league is another factor to take into account. For example, if the number of unbeaten matches in the league competition is limited and does not serve the ranking of the country, the 104 consecutive matches that Steaua Bucharest chained without losing between 1986 and 1989 in the Romanian league are the absolute record, according to UEFA data. If the scope is limited to the domestic competition of one of the five major leagues, Capello’s Milan went 58 games without losing in the Italian Serie A between 1991 and 1993, ahead of the 53 that Bayern Munich reached in Bundesliga between 2012 and 2013 and the 49 of Arsène Wenger’s Arsenal in the Premier League between 2003 and 2004.
These teams, however, were defeated in the Champions League or in the cup tournaments in their countries, something that has not happened with Bayer, which has been able to remain strong in all the tournaments. If you look into the history of football, taking the birth of UEFA competitions in the 1950s as the origin of professionalized and modern football; Only Benfica led by the legendary Portuguese footballer Eusébio da Silva can compete with this Leverkusen. Between 1963 and 1965, the Lisbon team went 48 games without losing in all competitions. With their draw this Thursday, Leverkusen has surpassed this mark.
Below, Juventus from 11-12 reached 43 games undefeated; ahead of Milan from 92-93, with 42. Meanwhile, Inter from 04-05 reached 40, the same figure as Real Madrid from 16-17, Fiorentina from 1955-56, or Nottingham Forest from 77-78, in the golden era of the English two-time European champion.
Xabi’s lifeguards
Although Leverkusen’s streak is unquestionable, the truth is that its survival over time has been held in check at various times. On up to ten occasions, the Germans have tied or scored the winning goal from the 88th minute of the matches.
Xabi’s first “miracle” came on the fourth day of the Bundesliga, in an Allianz Arena and against Bayern Munich. When they fell 2-1 on the scoreboard, Alonso’s team managed to tie the game with a penalty in the 93rd minute. Already on matchday 27, the defeat against Hoffenheim was even greater. Leverkusen turned around a 1-0 deficit to win 1-2 with goals in the 88th and 91st minutes. After mathematically becoming Bundesliga champions on matchday 29, Bayer faces the end of the season with a single incentive: finish the championship without defeats. Lifting the trophy has not changed the dynamic: on matchday 30, Leverkusen visited Borussia Dortmund. With the score 1-0 in favor of Westfalia, a goal from Stanišić in the 97th minute once again saved the day for Xabi’s team. And on matchday 31, against Stuttgart, after going 0-2 on the scoreboard, a goal by Robert Andrich in the 96th broke the deadlock and prolonged the streak.
The ability to live on the edge of the precipice became even more noticeable in the knockout tournaments. In the German Cup, they eliminated Stuttgart in the quarterfinals with a goal from Jonathan Tah in the 90th minute; but the most notable feats have come in the Europa League. In the first leg of the round of 16, against Qarabag, the Germans fell 2-0 and it seemed that the streak was doomed, but a goal from Florian Wirtz in the 70th minute, and one from Patrik Schick in the 92nd, avoided the setback. And on the way back, the same scenario was repeated. A 0-2 in favor of the Armenians set off alarm bells again, but Leverkusen got into the game with a goal in the 72nd minute, and after a double from Schick in the 93rd and 98th minutes, madness broke out in the BayArena. In the first leg of the quarterfinal against West Ham, more of the same: with the score at 1-0 and the streak in danger, Jeremie Frimpong scored the equalizer in the 89th minute to avoid defeat in London. And when everything seemed lost, with a 0-2 against Roma that sent the semifinals to extra time, once again, Stanišić, who had entered in the final minutes in an intelligent maneuver by Alonso, saved the streak again in the 97th minute.
Triplet in sight
Bayer, already with the Bundesliga in their pocket, envisions an end to the season that could be even more historic if they reach the treble. In the league, however, there are two games left against Bochum and Augsburg with which they could continue to extend their unbeaten streak.
On the road to glory, the Europa League final against Atalanta awaits; and the German Cup (DFB Pokal) against Kaiserlautern, a brilliant team in the 90s but currently active in the German second division.
Xabi Alonso, who will continue at least one more year at the club, is already a hero in the Rhineland city. After equaling the best unbeaten record in the history of modern football, winning the treble would put the young coach squarely in the Olympus of the most legendary teams in the beautiful game.
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