“Lived it, loved it” – Fans express disappointment as Bayer Leverkusen finally lose a game of domestic football after iconic 35-game unbeaten run

Bayer Leverkusen falters after 35 staggering games as RB Leipzig secures a clinical win despite falling behind earlier.

“Lived it, loved it” – Fans express disappointment as Bayer Leverkusen finally lose a game of domestic football after iconic 35-game unbeaten run

Xabi Alonso and Bayer Leverkusen duo, image courtesy: X

Bayer Leverkusen’s inexorable juggernaut finally hit a screeching halt as they went down fighting against a travelling RB Leipzig by 3-2. Despite securing a 2-goal cushion, Leverkusen failed to capitalize on it as Leipzig edged three past their counterparts with a late penalty check for Leverkusen overturned by the referee after VAR intervention.

The defending champions of Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen were on an incredible unbeaten run of 35 matches under the chaperonage of Xabi Alonso. They were last defeated on the final day of the 2022-23 season where Vfl Bochum drubbed them emphatically by 3-0. However, since then, things turned for the better in the following season and they were in a different plane of dominance in the Bundesliga.

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However, on August 31st, despite starting the game on a dominant note- as Jeremie Frimpong opened the scoring in 38th minute- Bayer Leverkusen had further drama awaiting them. Alejandro Grimaldo doubled the lead for the defending champions almost at the stroke of half-time. Leipzig managed to reduce the deficit just before the whistle for the first-half blew as Kevin Kampl scored.

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Lois Openda drew things level in the 57th minute before letting loose an absolute pile-driver that left Leverkusen custodian, Matej Kovar stranded. Even albeit, Leverkusen built a reputation of coming back late in the games, there was a chance created when a possible penalty was being checked after Castello Lukeba challenged Patrik Schick inside the box. Much to Leverkusen’s dismay, the check was turned down and a few moments later, with the final whistle ringing, Leverkusen’s unbeaten streak under Xabi Alonso came to an end.

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Here is what X had to say about the unbeaten streak of Bayer Leverkusen coming to an end

Bayer Leverkusen started their season with a thrilling win against Borussia Monchengladbach. A late-gasp winner saw them braving past Gladbach in a closely-contested encounter. They made easy work of Carl Zeiss Jena in the opening round of DFB Pokal’s first round, winning comfortably by 1-0.

Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen, image courtesy: X

However, the second week of Bundesliga saw the defending champions crash against RB Leipzig after a roller-coaster battle. X had mixed reactions to Leverkusen’s defeat. A few fans were happy to see them lose out on a longer unbeaten streak, while other admirers of football had more of a heartbreak seeing the streak getting halted.

It is going to be interesting to see how does Leverkusen responds to this defeat as they have a fortnight to prepare ahead of their next game. They will be up against Hoffenheim next which is slated to be played on 14th September at the Rhein-Neckar Arena.

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