Leverkusen extend unbeaten run to 48 games

Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen extended their season-long unbeaten run to 48 games with a 5-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt Sunday. 

With Xabi Alonso forced to watch from the stands due to a yellow card suspension, Leverkusen turned on the style, winning with goals from Granit Xhaka, Patrik Schick, Jeremie Frimpong and penalties from Exequiel Palacios and Victor Boniface.

"We had control of the game," Xhaka told DAZN.  

"We wanted to stay undefeated, we did that again - and we are really close to achieving something very special." 

Alonso left midfield lynchpin Florian Wirtz, who turned 21 Friday, out of the squad with Thursday's second Europa League semi-final against Roma in mind, but Leverkusen had no problems in attack. 

Xhaka opened the scoring with a long-range effort, before Frankfurt equalized through Hugo Ekitike, who scored for the third game in succession. 

Schick headed Leverkusen back in front just before half-time and World Cup winner Palacios scored a third from the penalty spot on the 58-minute mark. 

The floodgates opened in the final stages, with Frimpong scoring just five minutes after coming on and then won a penalty with three minutes remaining. 

Boniface converted the spot kick for Leverkusen's first win in Frankfurt for six years. 

Leverkusen, who are unbeaten in 48 across all competitions, need to avoid defeat in two remaining league matches to become the first team to go unbeaten through a Bundesliga season. 

"That's our challenge," Alonso said after the match.

"A big challenge. Just two games to go and if we make that, it will be almost perfect. We'll try it."

Alonso's side have a 2-0 advantage ahead of Thursday's Europa League semi-final second leg at home and are through to the final of the German Cup, keeping their dreams of an incredible unbeaten treble alive. 

Earlier Sunday, Bochum won 4-3 at Union Berlin, pushing the hosts closer to the drop just months after they were playing in the Champions League.

Mainz's 1-1 draw at Heidenheim later Sunday netted them a point and means Union are now just one point clear of the relegation play-off spot with two games remaining.

In the top division since a first-ever promotion in 2019, Union finished fourth last season and were playing Champions League football against Real Madrid as recently as December. 

Having built their success on home form, a lethargic Union were 3-0 down by half-time thanks to a Maximilian Wittek brace and a goal from former Berliner Keven Schlotterbeck. 

Coach Nenad Bjelica made three changes at the break and they had their desired impact immediately.

Yorbe Vertessen and Chris Bedia, both of whom came off the bench, scored in a three-minute period to cut the deficit to one. 

With Union on the march and looking for an equalizer, Bochum scored again, Philipp Hofmann heading in from close range. 

The home side gave their fans hope again just four minutes later, Benedict Hollerbach again cutting the deficit to just a goal.

Union fought hard but could not find the equalizer. 

Leeds United loanee Brenden Aaronson, one of three Union players to be subbed on at half-time, criticized his team's first-half performance. 

"It was one of those days when we didn't show up and that's all there is to it.

"We need to band together and fight like we did in the second-half. That's what we need to take away from this game." 

Bochum are four clear of the drop with two games remaining this season. 

RESULTS

Heidenheim 1 (Kleindienst 65) Mainz 1 (Burkardt 36)

Frankfurt 1 (Ekitike 32) Leverkusen 5 (Xhaka 12, Schick 44, Palacios 58-P, Frimpong 77, Boniface 89-P)

Union Berlin 3 (Vertessen 59, Bedia 62, Hollerbach 74) Bochum 4 (Wittek 16, 31, Schlotterbeck 37, Hofmann 70)

Source: AFP