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Tag: Bundesliga

  • Alonso reacts after winning Bundesliga for Bayer Leverkusen

    Alonso reacts after winning Bundesliga for Bayer Leverkusen

    Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso believes his side’s maiden Bundesliga title is a good thing for German football after Bayern Munich’s run of 11 straight championships came to an end.

    “I am happy for everyone,” the Spaniard, in his first major coaching role, told DAZN after Sunday’s 5-0 win over Werder Bremen.

    The win clinched the title with five games to spare and his side still unbeaten after 29 league games.

    “Perhaps it is healthy for the Bundesliga and German football for other teams to win.

    “We have to enjoy it. It is a super moment. Now it is time to celebrate. Today we have deserved it.”

    Leverkusen can also seal a treble with a Europa League quarter-final second leg at West Ham United on Thursday,  and a German Cup final against second tier Kaiserslautern on May 25.

    But Alonso wants his team to party first.

    “We can focus on West Ham soon but not tonight. Next week is something else. The players are a top, top team, they are top, top lads,” he said.

    “For this season, we still have big goals. It is a very good spot for me to be. This feeling is unbelievable.”

    Alonso, who was soaked with beer amid a massive pitch invasion, has turned down the chance of taking over former clubs Liverpool and Bayern to stay at Leverkusen and he remarked: “It was the right decision.”

    Unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen win maiden Bundesliga

    Bayer Leverkusen’s record-breaking run to their first Bundesliga title was no fluke, with a 16-month plan coming to fruition.

    The team made sure of their first trophy in 31 years with five matches left in the season, snapping Bayern Munich’s 11-year stranglehold on the Bundesliga.

    Sunday’s 5-0 home victory over Werder Bremen further stretched Leverkusen’s Bundesliga record unbeaten run to 29 games – 25 wins and four draws to chalk up 79 points.

    Coach Xabi Alonso took over a struggling Leverkusen side in October 2022 with the team second-bottom after eight Bundesliga games, having their worst start to a season since 1979.

    After a few months it became clear the Spaniard had successfully injected a winning mentality, with his team racing up the table to finish in sixth place.

    But it was during that rise in form in late 2022 when Alonso and the club set the foundations for this season’s success.

    With all eyes on the World Cup in Qatar, club bosses in Leverkusen sat down with Alonso to map out their transfer plans and put them into action early.

    By July 2023 Leverkusen had assembled their full squad and went into pre-season training with no late additions in August or September, as is regularly the case with most teams.

    These transfers included experienced Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka, who added steel in midfield.

    Also Germany international Jonas Hofmann, Alejandro Grimaldo, who provided nine goals and 11 assists as an attacking left-back having joined on a free transfer, and 23-year-old Nigeria striker Victor Boniface.

    Leverkusen took the season by storm from the start, racking up 11 wins in their first 12 league matches,  with Boniface seemingly scoring at will with 10 goals and seven assists until his injury in January while on international duty.

  • BREAKING: 120 years after, Bayer Leverkusen win first Bundesliga title

    BREAKING: 120 years after, Bayer Leverkusen win first Bundesliga title

    Nigerian Victor Boniface’s Bayer 04 Leverkusen have entered into the history books after winning their first ever Bundesliga title in their 120 years of existence.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Bayer 04 Leverkusen won the 2023/2024 German Bundesliga season on Sunday with 74 goals scored, 19 goals conceded and 0 defeats under coach Xabi Alonso.

    Founded on 1st July in 1904, Bayer 04 Leverkusen is a professional football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, where Boniface plies his trade.

    The team defeated Werder Bremen by 5 un-replied goals on Sunday to lift the Bundesliga title for the first time since 1904 with Boniface on the score board.

    Boniface scored the first goal from the spot early in the encounter to bring Bayer Leverkusen closer to winning the Bundesliga title.

    The historic outing of Leverkusen in the 2023/2024 German Bundesliga season ends the reign of almighty Bayern Munich, that have dominated the league in the past 11 seasons.

    Bayer Leverkusen had finished as runner-up in the Bundesliga five times without winning the competition, a record in German football.

    The 2023/2024 Bundesliga is the 61st season of the Bundesliga. It began on 18 August 2023 and will conclude on 18 May 2024.

    Meanwhile, Boniface would not be the only Nigerian in Bayer 04 Leverkusen to win the historic title. Boniface and Nathan Tella won the Bundesliga. They become the third and fourth Nigerian to win the title

  • Neuer still absent as Bayern resume training

    Neuer still absent as Bayern resume training

    Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was still missing due to injury as Bayern Munich returned to training after a 2-0 home defeat against Borussia Dortmund which ended their hopes for a 12th straight Bundesliga title.

    Neuer, 38, suffered an adductor injury two weeks ago which made him miss Germany’s international friendly victories against France and the Netherlands, as well as Saturday’s game against Dortmund where Sven Ulreich deputised.

    Bayern next visit mid-table Heidenheim in the league and on Tuesday next week will be at Arsenal for the Champions League quarter-final first leg match.

    It remains unclear whether Neuer will be fit to play in Hoffenheim but Bayern definitely expect him back in London in a week’s time. Neuer trained individually last week.

    Midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic and Raphael Guerreiro were back in team training on Tuesday from illness and injury, respectively.

    The Dortmund defeat made Bayern slip 13 points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen with seven games left. The Champions League could now offer them the most realistic chance to avoid a first season since 2012 without a trophy.

  • Bundesliga: Outgoing manager, Tuchel admits title race over for Bayern Munich

    Bundesliga: Outgoing manager, Tuchel admits title race over for Bayern Munich

    The coach of Bayern Munich, Thomas Tuchel, has admitted the Bundesliga title race is over.

    Tuchel made this known while speaking to reporters shortly after their 2-0 home defeat to Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.

    The result leaves Bayer Leverkusen 13 points clear of Munich on the Bundesliga log.

    Mathematically, Leverkusen now need just three more wins to be confirmed German champions for the first time in the club’s history.

    Tuchel, also, has all but given up on retaining the title they won under dramatic circumstances last year.

    He said: “Is the Bundesliga over? Yes. Definitely. Congratulations to Leverkusen.”

    Tuchel is expected to depart the Allianz Arena this summer.

  • Bundesliga: Bayern Munich management takes decision on sacking Thomas Tuchel

    Bundesliga: Bayern Munich management takes decision on sacking Thomas Tuchel

    Bundesliga defending champions, Bayern Munich have taken a decision on sacking manager,Thomas Tuchel following a 3-2 defeat to Bochum on Sunday.

    According to report emanating from the Clubside on Monday, Tuchel will continue as the head coach of Bayern Munich.

    The loss to Bochum extended Bayer Leverkusen’s lead to eight points.

    It also meant Bayern could go trophyless for the first time in 12 years.

    The loss to Bochum was their third defeat in a row across all competitions.

    Following the game, Bayern cancelled Tuchel’s post-match press conference, leading to speculations that the former Chelsea boss would be dismissed.

    However, Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg has said Tuchel will remain in post and that he is refusing to resign owing to his desire to fight on.

    The club’s CEO, Jan-Christian Dreesen, also insisted that the embattled head coach will not be dismissed.

    “I feel rubbish. I don’t believe in big statements about the coach.

    “This issue isn’t on our mind at the moment,” Dreesen said.

  • Bundesliga: Eintracht Frankfurt sign Nigerian attacker, Rafiu Durosinmi

    Bundesliga: Eintracht Frankfurt sign Nigerian attacker, Rafiu Durosinmi

    Nigerian Striker, Rafiu Durosinmi has been snapped up by Bundesliga side, , Eintracht Frankfurt for an undisclosed fee.

    The young talented attacker, Durosinmi joined Frankfurt from Czech Republic side, Viktoria Plzen.

    The 20-year-old is expected in Germany on Thursday to undergo his medicals.

    The young striker is Frankfurt’s second signing of the winter transfer window after Holland international, Donny van de Beek.

    Frankfurt beat Premier League club, Wolverhampton Wanderers to the signature of the player.

    Durosinmi scored nine goals and provided five assists in 19 league appearances for Plzen this season prior to the move.

  • Leipzig without forward Werner for longer than initially expected

    Leipzig without forward Werner for longer than initially expected

    RB Leipzig will be without forward Timo Werner for longer than initially expected due to an adductor issue.

    “The problems are becoming more persistent,” coach Marco Rose said in a news conference on Friday.

    Werner missed three games last month, including the Champions League match at Manchester City on Tuesday, and will not be available for the Bundesliga clash against Heidenheim on Saturday.

    It’s unclear how long the forward will be sidelined.

    Werner had to deal with back issues earlier this season and last year he missed the 2022 World Cup in Qatar due to a ligament tear.

    His fitness issues put into doubt his participation at the Euro 2024 with Germany.

    There is also speculation that Werner could transfer to another club in the winter. The club is reportedly considering a loan abroad.

    Captain Willi Orban, meanwhile, is not expected to play again this year due to a torn knee ligament. Coach Rose expects to have him back once training resumes on Jan. 2 following the winter break.

    “We want to be in the best possible starting position for the second half of the season.

    “We’re obviously hopeful that we’ll have both our captain Willi Orban and one of our key players Dani Olmo back by then.

    “Then we’ll be able to really kick on in the new year,” he said.

    Olmo hasn’t played since October also due to injury. 

  • Musiala back in Bayern squad but not ready to play full game

    Musiala back in Bayern squad but not ready to play full game

    Bayern Munich midfielder Jamal Musiala will be back in the squad for Saturday’s Bundesliga match against Union Berlin, but the young talent is still not ready to play a full game.

    Musiala suffered a muscle injury earlier this month and has been sidelined since. He also missed Germany’s final friendly games of the year against Turkey and Austria.

    “We hope there’s no reaction. Then he’ll be in the squad, but it’ll be a brief appearance at most,” coach Thomas Tuchel said during a news conference on Friday.

    Forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, and defenders Minjae Kim and Noussair Mazraoui are also available.

    The game at Bayern will mark the Bundesliga debut of Union new coach Nenad Bjelica, who replaced long-serving Urs Fischer, dismissed in November.

    Bjelica had his first game in charge in the 1-1 draw with Braga on Wednesday in the Champions League. With the result, Union extended their winless run to 16 consecutive games.

    But Tuchel stressed his focus is on his team.

    “You can’t read too much into the game [against Braga] because there was an early red card. We’ll also look at games involving the clubs he’s coached previously.

    “We have to concentrate on ourselves and do things better. We want to take it up a notch. The main attention is on us,” he said.

    Bayern are second in the Bundesliga, two points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

    Tuchel also confirmed that Bayern will play a friendly game at Basel on Jan. 6 before they resume their Bundesliga season following the winter break on Jan. 12 against Hoffenheim.

  • Harry Kane breaks Bundesliga goals record

    Harry Kane breaks Bundesliga goals record

    England captain Harry Kane continued his impressive goalscoring form with a double against Heidenheim as Bayern Munich moved top of the Bundesliga.

    Kane netted two goals in the first half to take his tally to 17 for the season.

    Having scored a hat-trick in each of his previous two Bundesliga matches, Kane has set a new league record for the most goals scored after 11 games.

    He overtakes Robert Lewandowski’s tally of 16 from 11 matches in 2019, while Bayern sit top of the table by a point.

    They lead second-placed Bayer Leverkusen, who would reclaim top spot with victory on Sunday when they host Union Berlin at 14:30 GMT.

    Former Manchester City winger Leroy Sane provided both assists for Kane, finding him inside the box for the opener as the striker spun and fired the ball into the top corner.

    Sane’s corner was then met with a precise, towering header from Kane to give Bayern a 2-0 lead before Heidenheim mounted a comeback in the second half.

    Two goals in three minutes from Tim Kleindienst and Jan-Niklas Beste cancelled out Kane’s double, but substitute Raphael Guerreiro swiftly restored Bayern’s lead in the 72nd minute, following up on a rebound to slot into an empty net.

    Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting also came off the bench to confirm victory for Bayern late on.

    Kane, who joined Bayern from Tottenham this summer, has already outscored last season’s joint-top scorers of the Bundesliga – Christopher Nkunku and Niclas Fullkrug finished on 16 goals each.

    It is also the 10th season in a row Kane has scored 20 or more club goals, while his tally of 17 goals in 11 Bundesliga games equals Erling Haaland’s haul for Manchester City at the same stage in the Premier League last season.

    BBC

  • Bundesliga: On-form Nigerian striker, Boniface scores brace in Leverkusen 4-1 drubbing of Heidenheim

    Bundesliga: On-form Nigerian striker, Boniface scores brace in Leverkusen 4-1 drubbing of Heidenheim

    On form Nigerian attacker, Victor Boniface has continued to impress for German clubside, Bayer Leverkusen as they recoreded a 4-1 victory against Heidenheim at the BayArena on Sunday afternoon.

    The Nigerian striker opened scoring in the 9th minute of the encounter.

    The 22-year-old netted Die Werkself’s third from the penalty spot 14 minutes from time.

    The Nigeria international has now scored six goals in five league appearances for Die Werkself.
    He is now the third-highest goal scorer in the Bundesliga, behind Serhou Guirassy  with 10 goals and Harry Kane with 7, while Boniface occupies the the third position with 6 goals.

    Bayer Leverkusen occupy the second position on the table, behind Bayern Munich.