Bayer Leverkusen complete domestic double with DFB-Pokal title: Key stats
What's the story
Bayer Leverkusen have completed the domestic double by winning the 2023-24 DFB-Pokal title. 10-man Leverkusen eked out a 1-0 win over German second division side 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka scored for Xabi Alonso's men in the 17th minute. Odilon Kossounou was sent off after a second yellow card in the 44th minute. Leverkusen held on for a win thereafter.
Bundesliga
Invincibles Leverkusen won the Bundesliga crown
Bayer Leverkusen became the first side in Bundesliga history to win the title going unbeaten in a season. Leverkusen capped off a stunning 2023-24 campaign with a 2-1 win last Saturday over Augsburg. Leverkusen sealed 28 wins and six draws from 34 matches in the Bundesliga 2023-24 season. They collected 90 points with a goal difference of +65. Leverkusen kept 16 clean sheets.
DFB-Pokal
Domestic double completed with DFB-Pokal trophy
By winning the DFB-Pokal or the German Cup, Leverkusen completed a superb double this season. Notably, this was Leverkusen's second DFB-Pokal trophy. They lifted the trophy before in 1993 (31 years ago). This was Leverkusen's fifth German Cup final. They have been three-time runners-up (2002, 2009 and 2020).
Europa
Leverkusen lost the Europa League final
Earlier this week, Leverkusen suffered a stunning 3-0 defeat versus Atalanta to lose the final of the 2023-24 UEFA Europa League. Atalanta's Ademola Lookman scored a hat-trick as Leverkusen's unbeaten run in all competitions came to an end. Leverkusen were 12 matches unbeaten in the Europa League this season (W9 D3) before the defeat in the final.
Numbers
One defeat in 53 matches across all competitions in 2023-24
Leverkusen enjoyed a 51-game unbeaten run in the 2023-24 season across all competitions before the defeat to Atalanta. Overall, from 53 matches, the German side collected 43 wins, nine draws and one defeat. Leverkusen have finished with 145 goals in addition to conceding 42. Their goal difference was a staggering +103. Leverkusen scored 25 goals in the DFB-Pokal this season and conceded five.
Records
Unique records made by Leverkusen after German Cup win
As per Opta, Leverkusen are only the fifth different club to win the domestic double since the Bundesliga was founded. They joined the likes of Bayern Munich (13 times), FC Köln, Werder Bremen and Borussia Dortmund (1 time each). Xhaka is the first Swiss player to score in a DFB-Pokal final.