Bayer Leverkusen on the verge of historic double after reaching German Cup final
The Hindu
Bayer Leverkusen eyes historic double after dominant German Cup semifinal win, led by Florian Wirtz's brace.
Bayer Leverkusen is on the verge of a historic league and cup double in Germany after sweeping aside local rival Fortuna Duesseldorf 4-0 in the German Cup semifinals.
Florian Wirtz scored twice on Wednesday as Xabi Alonso's team, which also leads the Bundesliga by 13 points, marked its 40th game of the season unbeaten in all competitions.
Leverkusen faces off in the May 25 cup final at Berlin's Olympiastadion against second-tier Kaiserslautern, which ended the surprise run of third-division Saarbruecken with a 2-0 win on Tuesday.
On a wet night, Leverkusen took the lead in the seventh minute when Jeremie Frimpong seized on a loose ball at the far post and lofted a shot over goalkeeper Florian Kastenmeier.
That forced Fortuna to open up its play in search of a goal, and Leverkusen promptly responded with a searing counterattack.
Three passes took the ball from Leverkusen's touchline to the back of Fortuna's net as Amine Adli made it 2-0. Soon it was three as Kastenmeier gave the ball away to Leverkusen midfielder Robert Andrich, who set up Wirtz to score.
Wirtz scored another from the penalty spot after a handball, before Leverkusen celebrated the return of striker Victor Boniface, back in action for the club for the first time since December after he was injured while training with Nigeria ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations.