BERLIN – Xabi Alonso’s rampaging Bayer Leverkusen will have an additional incentive in their Europa League semi-final, second leg at home against Roma on May 9 – breaking a 59-year-old European football record.
Avoiding defeat against the Italian side will not only mean a trip to Dublin for the final, but also extend their unbeaten run to 49 games – the best mark in European football history.
A Eusebio-inspired Benfica went on a 48-game unbeaten streak between 1963 and 1965. The record has stood since, but Leverkusen have a golden chance of blowing it out of the water.
Alonso’s men won 2-0 in Rome last week and could progress to the final even with a one-goal loss, but breaking the record would be yet another outstanding achievement in an already brilliant season.
Speaking after Leverkusen equalled Benfica’s record with a 5-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt on May 5, Leverkusen goalkeeper and captain Lukas Hradecky said pursuit of an unbeaten season gave his side “extra motivation”.
“It’s close,” said the Finn, explaining that “I can tell my granddaughter and grandson about this”.
He was referring to the league season, where Leverkusen have two more games to become the first team to go through a Bundesliga campaign without defeat, and are also just five matches away from an unbeaten treble.
Already crowned Bundesliga champions for the first time back in April, Leverkusen are through to the German Cup final, where they face second-division Kaiserslautern on May 25.
In addition, avoiding defeat against Roma will set up a meeting with either Atalanta or Marseille – that clash is tied at 1-1 – in the Europa League final on May 22.
Before the start of the season, Leverkusen had just two major trophies in their history.
With the Bundesliga title already secured, Alonso’s side could more than double their historical trophy haul in the Spaniard’s first full season in charge of a top side.
Former Leverkusen coach and sporting director Rudi Voller said the call to hire Alonso was “brave and adventurous”, as well as a “perfect decision”.
Speaking with the German daily Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger, he praised Leverkusen’s “outstanding squad depth”.
“It’s rare in the football business that you not only strengthen in the top positions, but also in the areas behind them. That’s the secret why Bayer are still unbeaten,” he said.
“The treble is still possible. But no matter what happens, it’s still an outstanding season.”
Leverkusen have managed to keep their stunning run going despite Alonso deciding to rest some of his key players like attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz and wing-back Alex Grimaldo against Frankfurt.
With close to a full-strength squad, few would bet against Alonso’s men breaking Benfica’s record when they play Roma. AFP
