Leverkusen claim maiden German title
Bayer Leverkusen sealed a maiden Bundesliga title in style as Florian Wirtz’s hat-trick wrapped up a comfortable 5-0 win over Werder Bremen.
Against a backdrop of expectation and a cauldron of noise at the Bayarena, Xabi Alonso’s side extended their unbeaten streak this season to 43 matches to end Bayern Munich’s run of 11 successive league titles.
Victor Boniface eased any nerves in the stadium with a 25th-minute penalty after Julian Malatin fouled Jonas Hofmann in the box, with referee Harm Osmers awarding the spot-kick following a VAR consultation.
Wave after wave of attack followed but Leverkusen were thwarted until Granit Xhaka curled home a leftfoot strike from 25 yards on the hour to effectively end any hope of Bremen spoiling the party.
Wirtz, introduced on the stroke of half-time, then rifled high into the net from a similar distance midway through the second half andabriefpitchinvasionfollowed when he bagged his second on 83 minutes after going clean through on goal.
He had his treble with a fine finish, the last kick of the match which sparked another pitch invasion as Leverkusen got the victory they needed to guarantee the title with five matches left in the season.
Former Celtic defender Jeremie Frimpong was introduced as a 62nd minute substitute but has been a key figure in the Leverkusen line-up this season, starting all but five league matches and contributing eight goals and eight assists.
His form has seen the Dutch international linked with a big money move to the Premier League in England.