German Cup Final… Leverkusen’s wounds threaten Kaiserslautern’s ambition

Sudan Events – Agencies

German champion Bayer Leverkusen faces second-tier Klaiserslautern in the German Cup final, seeking to make up for the disappointment of suffering its first loss in nearly a year. Spanish coach Xabi Alonso’s team suffered a heavy loss at the hands of Italian Atalanta, 3-0, in the Europa League final as its first loss in any competition since May 2023, in a series that extended to 51 matches, and after being distinguished throughout the season by its vitality and ability to score late goals, Leverkusen appeared in a different state than the team that broke Bayern Munich’s dominance to win its first title in the Bundesliga, and in a year in which Alonso promised to remain in the league. He headed the team, ignoring all the offers that came in from major clubs like Liverpool and Bayern. It seemed that Leverkusen was on its way to achieving a historic treble, although losing the continental final would remain a heartbreak for Alonso and his players after missing the opportunity to become the first team in history to finish an entire season without any loss. He will need to regain his balance quickly so as not to lose all the gains he has achieved throughout the season, and anything other than a victory for Ferkslev in the final against the team from the second division, which was almost relegated to the third division, will constitute a huge disappointment.
The loss will revive an ugly memory for the team’s fans from the year 2002, when it was leading the Bundesliga standings by five points three stages ago, and it also reached the final of the German Cup and the European Champions League at that time.
Although the series was at risk of ending at any moment, after Leverkusen succeeded in breaking a 59-year-old record set by the Portuguese Benfica in 1965, the form of the loss that ended this series was difficult for Alonso to accept.