Xabi Alonso: Bayer Leverkusen victory over Bayern Munich was 'incredible'
- Rob Fleming
- 20 March 2023
Former Bayern Munich midfielder and Bayer Leverkusen coach, Xabi Alonso, has enhanced his growing reputation with a 2-1 victory over his former team on Sunday.
The win dealt a huge blow to Bayern who are targeting an 11th successive Bundesliga title.
The victory came late in the game with two Exequiel Palacios penalties, after Bayern had taken the lead through Joshua Kimmich. Bizarrely, Amine Adli was initially booked for diving in both penalty incidents before the bookings were rescinded via VAR and the spot kicks were awarded.
"It was two clear penalties - and no yellow card for Amine. As a two-time penalty shooter, it's not easy - Pala did an excellent job. He has gained a lot of confidence recently and played well today," Alonso said via a tweet by Leverkusen.
"It was an 'incredible' feeling after the game. We won against one of the best teams in Europe," Alonso said in an interview on the Bundesliga website.
Since taking over at Leverkusen in October, Alonso has lifted the team from second-bottom to eighth in the Bundesliga. They are only three points away from sixth after their win against Bayern.
Alonso's first season as coach of Leverkusen has been a roaring success, with the team also through to the Europa League quarter-finals. They won 2-0 away to Ferencvaros on Thursday, and following that up by beating the 10-in-a-row German champions was no mean feat.
Alonso's strategic approach to matches has seen Leverkusen's performances improve significantly since his arrival.
