Wild scenes as Bayer Leverkusen fans invade pitch DURING match as Alonso’s side win Bundesliga and deny Harry Kane title
FANS raced on to celebrate BEFORE the final whistle as Bayer Leverkusen sealed their first ever Bundesliga title with a 5-0 defeat of Werder Bremen.
Incredibly, Xabi Alonso’s men ended Bayern Munich’s 12-year grip on the crown without losing a single league game all season.
Xabi Alonso hails Leverkusen’s historic title triumph
ReutersLeverkusen team-mates rush to mob Granit Xhaka after he made it 2-0[/caption]
AFPVictor Boniface’s penalty put Leverkusen on the way to a title-clinching win[/caption]
GettyFans brought their own Bundesliga trophies to commemorate the moment[/caption]
ReutersAlonso was anointed the new king of Leverkusen[/caption]
Victor Boniface’s first-half penalty and a worldie from Arsenal hardman Granit Xhaka made it 2-0 before Florian Wirtz fired the first hat-trick of his career.
It’s the first major trophy of ex-Liverpool midfielder Alonso‘s managerial career – with a Treble still possible this campaign.
Unbeaten in all competitions, Leverkusen have one foot in the Europa League semis having beaten West Ham 2-0 in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final.
They also play Kaiserslautern in the DFB Pokal final, who are second bottom of the German second division.
Leverkusen supporters lit flares and some surged onto the pitch once Wirtz made it 5-0 just ahead of stoppage time.
Leverkusen have five Bundesliga games remaining to ensure they finish this season as ‘Invincibles’.
If they do so, they would be the first German club to ever achieve that feat.
Leverkusen’s fine form has in part seen Harry Kane‘s move to Bayern Munich turn into a nightmare.
With Bayern winning the last 11 Bundesliga titles on the bounce, a 12th looked a dead cert when he made the £104million move from Tottenham last summer.
EPAVictor Boniface sent Leverkusen on the road to a title-clinching victory[/caption]
RexThe Bayer team were welcomed with flares as they arrived at the stadium[/caption]
ReutersSeveral fans brought mock ups of the Bundesliga title with them[/caption]
RexXabi Alonso’s face adorned some of the trophies[/caption]
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But things began to turn sour for Kane when Bayern were knocked out of the DFB Pokal by third tier minnows Saarbrucken in November.
That helped lead to a wretched run of form that saw Thomas Tuchel told he would be relieved of his duties this summer back in February.
Kane’s last chance of a trophy this season relies on the second leg of Bayern’s Champions League tie with Arsenal – having drawn the first leg of the quarter-final 2-2 at The Emirates.
Leverkusen’s rampant form and Alonso’s glittering playing CV has seen him linked with top jobs across Europe.
The Spaniard played for Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid throughout his career and was seen as the ideal candidate to succeed both Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel at their respective clubs.
However he dramatically reaffirmed his commitment to Leverkusen last month, saying: “This is the place to be for me. My job at Bayer is not over.
“I want to help the club, and help the players to develop, the board is great… it’s all fantastic here.
“I’m still a young coach but I think this is the best decision for my future. I took my time and I’m sure about that.
“I’m grateful to Bayer and the board, the players, the fans… I feel that this is the best way, to continue together.”
Alonso’s ‘secret plan’
Balague told the BBC’s The Football News Show: “I’ll tell you a little secret.
“When he went to Bayer Leverkusen, he told his agent ‘do you know what, I am thinking that if it doesn’t go well at Bayer Leverkusen, I’ll go back to Real Sociedad’.
“But if it goes well, from here, it’s Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich.
“Let me add Manchester City to the equation and that’s where Xabi Alonso could go next.
“When, is a different matter.”
For now though, Alonso is staying at Leverkusen having confirmed earlier this year that he would remain in charge beyond this summer.
