Bayer Leverkusen have set a new unbeaten record after salvaging a 1-1 draw against West Ham United to progress 3-1 on aggregate to the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday night.
Xabi Alonso's side celebrated winning their first-ever Bundesliga title last weekend after cruising to a 5-0 home victory over Werder Bremen – their 25th victory in their 29th league game of the campaign.
Leverkusen were then tasked with preserving their 2-0 first-leg lead in the quarter-finals of the Europa League against West Ham, but they were surprisingly outclassed by the Hammers in the first half at the London Stadium and fell behind in the 13th minute.
Michail Antonio met a dangerous delivery from Jarrod Bowen to head home from close range, and Leverkusen initially struggled to cope with West Ham's high press and threat from crosses.
However, a tiring West Ham outfit eventually ran out of ideas after the break, and Leverkusen showed a great level of maturity to gradually grow back into the contest and net an 89th-minute equaliser through Jeremie Frimpong.
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Leverkusen surpass Juventus to break European record
Leverkusen's hopes of going through the entire 2023-24 campaign without defeat remain alive as they have now extended their remarkable unbeaten run to 44 games across all competitions.
Thirty-eight victories and six draws have been posted during this run and their latest draw with West Ham has seen Alonso's side set a new record.
Indeed, Leverkusen 44-game undefeated streak is the longest for any team in Europe's top-five leagues, surpassing the previous record holder Juventus, who enjoyed a 43-match unbeaten run between May 2011 and May 2012.
Leverkusen last tasted defeat 328 days ago in May last year when they were beaten 3-0 by VfL Bochum in the Bundesliga on the final day of last season.
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Xhaka, Tah express desire to win Europa League
Speaking to TNT Sports after qualifying for the Europa League semi-finals, Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka said: "We are happy we got through. The crowd were pushing West Ham unbelievably. We were lucky in the first half, if we're honest. It was a different phase in the second half. We controlled the game."
"It's unbelievable. To win the first [Bundesliga] trophy in the club's history, it's unbelievable, but we want more, "Xhaka added. "I think we showed in the second half that this team has a hunger and a belief to take on anything and anyone. We're in the semi-final. Now we've got this far, we want to go to Dublin [for the final], that's the next step of what we want to do."
Speaking to UEFA.com, captain Jonathan Tah added: "It was really tough in the first half. [West Ham] put a lot of pressure on us and took the crowd with them, so it was a really tough moment for us, but sometimes you experience them and you have to stay together.
"It's such a big motivation [to win the Europa League] because now we've felt the feeling of winning a trophy with this team, our fans, the city and the whole club. We want to continue, we didn't come this far to stop here. We'll try our best to finish every tournament with a trophy."
Leverkusen, who will face Roma in the semi-finals at the start of next month, will endeavour to extend their unbeaten run to 45 matches when they travel to Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga on Sunday.
Oliver Thomas
