Bayer Leverkusen on the verge of historic double after reaching German Cup final

Leverkusen’s Granit Xhaka celebrates with staff mates after the German cup match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Fortuna Duesseldorf in Leverkusen, Germany on April 3, 2024.
| Photograph Credit score: AP

Bayer Leverkusen is on the verge of a historic league and cup double in Germany after sweeping apart native rival Fortuna Duesseldorf 4-0 within the German Cup semifinals.

Florian Wirtz scored twice on Wednesday as Xabi Alonso’s staff, which additionally leads the Bundesliga by 13 factors, marked its fortieth sport of the season unbeaten in all competitions.

Leverkusen faces off within the Might 25 cup remaining at Berlin’s Olympiastadion towards second-tier Kaiserslautern, which ended the shock run of third-division Saarbruecken with a 2-0 win on Tuesday.

On a moist night time, Leverkusen took the lead within the seventh minute when Jeremie Frimpong seized on a unfastened ball on the far publish and lofted a shot over goalkeeper Florian Kastenmeier.

That pressured Fortuna to open up its play in the hunt for a purpose, and Leverkusen promptly responded with a searing counterattack.

Three passes took the ball from Leverkusen’s touchline to the again of Fortuna’s web as Amine Adli made it 2-0. Quickly it was three as Kastenmeier gave the ball away to Leverkusen midfielder Robert Andrich, who arrange Wirtz to attain.

Wirtz scored one other from the penalty spot after a handball, earlier than Leverkusen celebrated the return of striker Victor Boniface, again in motion for the membership for the primary time since December after he was injured whereas coaching with Nigeria forward of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Leverkusen had an additional enhance final week when Alonso stated he would keep on as coach amid hypothesis linking him with Liverpool and Bayern Munich. Since then, Leverkusen has received each its video games and seen Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel concede the Bundesliga title race.

Fortuna, which is pushing for promotion from the second division, was a heavy underdog forward of the sport, even earlier than its star midfielder Ao Tanaka was dominated out.

The Japan worldwide had to enter pressing surgical procedure to take away his appendix and gave his teammates a pregame thumbs-up gesture from a hospital mattress.