BOCHUM: Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen routed hosts VfL Bochum 5-0 on Sunday to stretch their remarkable unbeaten run across all competitions this season to 50 consecutive matches.

On Thursday Xabi Alonso’s team, aiming for a treble of titles, surpassed Benfica’s long-standing European unbeaten record set from 1963 to 1965 with a 2-2 draw against AS Roma that sent them through to the Europa League final.

On Saturday they did not ease off against lowly Bochum, scoring twice late in the first half versus the last Bundesliga team to beat them in the previous season.

Patrik Schick put Leverkusen in the driving seat in the 41st minute and Victor Boniface doubled their lead with a penalty in first-half added time, with Bochum down to 10 men following a straight red card for Felix Passlack in the 15th minute.

Amine Adli made it 3-0 in the 76th and Josip Stanisic added another in the 86th with a low drive before delivering an assist for Alejandro Grimaldo to score in stoppage time with a tap-in.

Leverkusen, who face Atala­nta in the Europa League showpiece match and Kaiserslautern in the German Cup final, have 87 points with one Bundesliga game left this season.

Leverkusen midfielder Robert Andrich told DAZN he had his sights set on a “unique” triple.

“We couldn’t have imagined how much the Bundesliga title meant to the club and the fans.

“Next week we’ll hold the trophy high in our own stadium, which will be emotional and beautiful. After that we’re off to Dublin and Berlin and we want to grab both titles and go on holiday with the triple in our backpacks.”

Earlier on Sunday, Bayern Munich climbed to second spot as they leapfrogged VfB Stuttgart after their 2-0 victory against VfL Wolfsburg.

Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel made eight changes to the side eliminated from the Champions League with a 2-1 loss at Real Madrid on Wednesday, with England captain Harry Kane, out with back issues, missing his first league match of the season.

Croatian midfielder Lovro Zvonarek, aged just 19, celebrated his first start by scoring after four minutes. Leon Goretzka was set up by Thomas Muller just 10 minutes later.

Bayern will finish the season without a trophy for the first time since 2012.

The loss means Wolfsburg are yet to win in the Bavarian capital after 27 games.

Elsewhere, Hoffenheim boos­ted their chances of qualifying for Europe with a 6-0 demolition of already relegated Darmstadt.

Both Ihlas Bebou and Maximilian Beier scored doubles with Pavel Kaderabek and former Liverpool centre-back Ozan Kabak adding goals against the last-placed team.

Published in Dawn, May 14th, 2024