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.
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.
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.
The last time Leverkusen tasted defeat was on the final day of the 2022-23 season, losing 3-0 to VfL Bochum.
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.
'You see the desire from the team,' said Granit Xhaka, who assisted the late equalizer, to TNT Sports.
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.'
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.
'It will finish sometime,' he admitted to TNT Sports. 'Hopefully, it's not in the coming games, but that's football.
'We had so many chances that we could have scored before, but we kept pushing, kept creating chances.'
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Croatia international's strike is the biggest of all 17 as it created history, and the Celebrations that followed it showed just that.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The last time Leverkusen tasted defeat was on the final day of the 2022-23 season, losing 3-0 to VfL Bochum.
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.
'You see the desire from the team,' said Granit Xhaka, who assisted the late equalizer, to TNT Sports.
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.'
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.
'It will finish sometime,' he admitted to TNT Sports. 'Hopefully, it's not in the coming games, but that's football.
'We had so many chances that we could have scored before, but we kept pushing, kept creating chances.'
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Croatia international's strike is the biggest of all 17 as it created history, and the Celebrations that followed it showed just that.
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.
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.
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