After a 3-0 defeat to VfL Bochum on the 27th of May 2023, which happened to be the final game of football for Bayer Leverkusen for the 2022-23 season, the club has gone on a 49-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, officially beating the record of the longest unbeaten streak in European football history.
No one would ever have envisioned that a team that was on the verge of relegation, holding the 17th position by the 30th of September after losing 4-0 to Bayern Munich, a league position that led to head coach Gerardo Seoane getting sacked and replaced with Xabi Alonso, would break and set such a phenomenal record less than two years later.
2023 Summer Transfers That Made The Difference
It began on the 21st of May when Bayer Leverkusen poached Álex Grimaldo from Benfica on a free transfer and signed him on a four-year contract. Grimaldo then went on to score nine goals in the 31 appearances he’s made in the league as a right-wing back, providing 13 assists. He’s also contributed five goals in 11 games in the Europa League.
Bayer Leverkusen then went on to trigger Jonas Hofmann’s €10 million release clause, tying the then 30-year-old till 2027. He has contributed 16 goals in 43 appearances in all competitions this season.
With €25 million, Bayer Leverkusen bought their new engine room, Granit Xhaka, from Arsenal. The midfield general has been so instrumental for the club that he made it into the season’s Bundesliga Team of the Season.
The last signing of July 2023 was Victor Boniface for €20 million. The unsung Nigerian hero leads the club’s scoring charts with 12 goals in the league, including a penalty in the 5-0 win over Werder Bremen that gave them the Bundesliga title, and 19 goals in all competitions. That’s without adding the nine assists he’s contributed in all competitions.
On the 20th of August, the club completed the signing of Josip Stanišic on loan from Bayern Munich. He has been a rock in the Bayer Leverkusen defense, contributing to 15 clean sheets in the 34 games he’s been involved in. He also scored against his parent club in Bayer Leverkusen’s 3-0 victory and the historic equalizer against Roma.
Nathan Tella arrived on the 27th of August. Although he’s been in the starting 11 only 16 of the 36 times he’s played for the club, he’s contributed to nine goals in all competitions.
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11 Goals Scored After The 90th Minute Mark
The list of teams Bayer Leverkusen have rescued a point or three from in the dying embers of the game, make up a starting 11.
It started with a 94th-minute Palacios penalty against Bayern Munich that secured one point in a 2-2 draw, a 94th winner by Palacios to rescue all three points against Augsburg, and a 91st-minute winner by Hincapié to beat Leipzig to three points.
They also scored a 91st-minute Jonathan Tah winner against Stuttgart in the February meeting between the two sides, while a 96th-minute equalizer saved them from a defeat in the second leg.
Victor Boniface scored a 94th-minute penalty in the second-leg meeting between the club and Qarabag in the group stage of the Europa League, while Patrick Schick hit a 92nd-minute equalizer in the first leg of their Round of 16 clash. In the second leg, the club needed 93rd and 97th minute Patrick Schick goals to produce a win.
There were also similar occurrences in games like Hoffenheim where a 91st-minute Patrick Schick goal secured the three points, and Dortmund where a 97th-minute Josip Staniši goal saved the unbeaten record, and AS Roma where a 97th-minute goal again from Staniši broke the record and set a new one.
Where Bayer Leverkusen’s Record Ranks In History
With 136 goals scored in 49 games, Xabi Alonso has led Bayer Leverkusen to become Bundesliga champions for the first time since the tournament began in 1963, to the club’s 5th DFB-Pokal final, and the 2nd UEFA Cup final, the first since it was renamed as UEFA Europa League, keeping the club’s hopes of a historic invincible treble alive.
Until Xabi Alonso’s phenomenal 2023-24 season, Benfica held the record for the longest unbeaten streak in European football (48). It was a streak that lasted between December 1963 and February 1965. Benfica was managed by Lajos Czeizler and Elek Schwartz within that period and had free-scoring Brazilian legend, Eusébio, in the team.
Although Celtic and Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in the 1915–17 and 1933–35 seasons respectively, had 62 and 60-game unbeaten streaks, the Benfica record is counted as the standard as it was set after World War II.
About the Author
Ebenezer has been an avid writer for over a decade and a half. Within that period, he has garnered experience in various fields such as editing, graphics design, transcribing, sales, data analysis, and football management.
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