Leverkusen on brink of title as Bayern slips up again
Florian Wirtz’s penalty winner at Union Berlin has taken Bayer Leverkusen to within touching distance of the Bundesliga title as Bayern Munich squandered a two-goal lead at Heidenheim to leave the leader 16 points clear.
Bundesliga leader Leverkusen battled past Union to equal a league record unbeaten run of 28 consecutive matches and all but secure a first league title.
Xabi Alonso's team, which has not lost in 41 matches across all competitions this season, can clinch a maiden Bundesliga title and first trophy in 31 years with a victory at home against Werder Bremen next week.
It is also set to break an 11-season stranglehold on the league by Bayern Munich, which has won every Bundesliga title since 2013.
Leverkusen is now on 76 points with six games left and second-placed Bayern anchored on 60 after its shock 3-2 defeat at Heidenheim, its second league loss in a row and one that came after it had led 2-0 at half-time.
"I am very proud of the team. We prepared well and had the right mentality. The situation now is very good for us and maybe we will have something to celebrate next week," Alonso said.
"But before next week there is the [UEFA] Europa League and that is where the focus is now."
Leverkusen, long derided as 'Neverkusen' because of its lack of trophies in the past decades, is through to the DFB Pokal Cup final. It also faces West Ham United next week in a UEFA Europa League quarter-final first leg.
"I don't like to be compared. We have our own way of doing things and we have done it like that from the start and we have developed that way," Alonso said.
"We want to keep going in the same way no matter if it is the Europa League or the German Cup."
The visitors put Union on the back foot from the start but despite a string of chances, they had to wait until deep in first-half stoppage-time for Wirtz to convert a penalty.
Minutes earlier Union had Robin Gosens sent off after he was booked for a second time.
Union never really mounted any comeback with a player down in the second half and Leverkusen only needed to control the game, easily holding on to the three points to equal the league record for most consecutive unbeaten matches.
