Bayer Leverkusen’s unstoppable march in the Bundesliga continued on Saturday, 30th March, but not without a late-game scare.
Trailing Hoffenheim 1-0 deep into the second half, Xabi Alonso’s side produced a dramatic late comeback, scoring twice in the final minutes to snatch a thrilling 2-1 victory.
Hoffenheim struck first through Maximilian Beier in the 33rd minute of the game, leaving the BayArena crowd silenced.
The Bundesliga leaders struggled to break through a resolute Hoffenheim defense throughout much of the of the first half, frustration mounting as clear-cut chances remained elusive.
After the recess, Leverkusen began to dominate proceedings, creating a number of goal scoring chances but Hoffenheim’s shot stopper, Oliver Baumann, stood between them and the goal.
Just when defeat seemed inevitable, and their unbeaten streak looked threatened, Leverkusen’s relentless spirit shone through. In the 88th minute, Robert Andrich scored the first goal for Leverkusen to level the score.
The drama didn’t stop there. Buoyed by the equalizer, Leverkusen poured forward in a desperate search for a winner.
Their persistence paid off in stoppage time. Patrick Schick scored the winning goal in the 91st minute to spark wild celebrations on the pitch and in the stands.
Their unbeaten run in the Bundesliga remains intact, and they stay firmly on top of the Bundesliga table with a 13-point gap on Bayern Munich who play Borussia Dortmund later tonight.
They have also extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 39 games this season.
Alonso’s men are 7 games away from being crown champions of the Bundesliga. In fact, Leverkusen needs 12 points from their remaining games to win the title.
However, with a record within their sight, they’ll need to avoid defeat in any of their remaining games to become the first team in Bundesliga history to go the whole season undefeated.