Xabi Alonso's Side Breaks the European Record for Longest Unbeaten Run as they Score a 97th-Minute from punished Watch Video

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✓ Published: 10-May-2024

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Bayer Leverkusen has made history. The Bundesliga Champions have set a new European record of 49 games unbeaten after Josip Stanisic netted yet another last-gasp equalizer to seal a 2-2 draw with Roma.<br/><br/>Stanisic, 24, scored with the last kick of the game in the 97th minute to secure a 4-2 aggregate win over the Italians, booking their place in the Europa League final.<br/><br/>Xabi Alonso's side doesn't know when they are beaten, they were 2-0 down heading into the final 10 minutes, but after an own goal from Gianluca Mancini and then Stanisic's strike, they have now surpassed Benfica's 59-year record.<br/><br/>The last time Leverkusen tasted defeat was on the final day of the 2022-23 season, losing 3-0 to VfL Bochum.<br/><br/>They are now on the cusp of an unprecedented treble, having already won a first-ever Bundesliga title, with the DFB Pokal final, and now a date with Atalanta in Dublin, still to come. <br/><br/>'You see the desire from the team,' said Granit Xhaka, who assisted the late equalizer, to TNT Sports.<br/><br/>He added: 'Even after 2-1, 90 minutes, and then extra time, we didn't want to slow down the game, we wanted to score the second goal to be unbeaten. We are proud of it.'<br/><br/>Alonso was proud of the character and calmness his side showed in scoring the late equalizer but was aware that one day, the late goal wouldn't come. <br/><br/>'It will finish sometime,' he admitted to TNT Sports. 'Hopefully, it's not in the coming games, but that's football.<br/><br/>'We had so many chances that we could have scored before, but we kept pushing, kept creating chances.' <br/><br/>Alonso's side have a knack for making it hard for themselves, and they did so again, letting their two-goal advantage over Roma from the first leg slip.<br/><br/>The Italian side took a surprise lead from the penalty spot two minutes before half-time after Sardar Azmoun was hauled down by Jonathan Tah. Leandro Paredes stepped up and made no mistake. <br/><br/>Paredes then punished Leverkusen once again, netting another penalty in the 66th minute after Adam Hlozek was adjudged to have handled the ball following a Roma corner.<br/><br/>However, Leverkusen never gave up, and they retook the lead in the tie when Gianluca Mancini headed unconventionally into his own net eight minutes from time.<br/><br/>Then came the moment of truth. As time was seemingly out, Stanisic cut in from the right-hand side and slid a low strike past Mile Svilar to net Leverkusen's 17th stoppage-time goal of the season.<br/><br/>The Croatia international's strike is the biggest of all 17 as it created history, and the Celebrations that followed it showed just that.<br/><br/>Staff and players on the bench raced over to Stanisic, and at full-time a gleaming Alonso sped onto the pitch to celebrate with all of his team.<br/><br/>Before tonight, Leverkusen sat level with Benfica for the longest unbeaten run across all competitions, since the introduction of UEFA club competitions, in European football history.