Bayer Leverkusen have won their first Bundesliga championship, ending Bayern Munich’s 11-year stranglehold on the German top flight.

Xabi Alonso’s side cruised to a 5-0 victory over Werder Bremen on Saturday, securing the title with five matches to spare. The win extended Leverkusen’s remarkable unbeaten run across all competitions to 43 games this season.

Florian Wirtz was the hero, bagging a hat-trick, as Leverkusen left nothing to chance in sealing the title at the first opportunity. Victor Boniface and Granit Xhaka were also on the scoresheet for the new champions.

“I cannot describe this. I personally can still not realize this has happened. I will need a few moments in the changing room to understand what we have achieved,” an elated Wirtz said after the match.

Alonso, who took over as Leverkusen coach in October 2022 when the club was in the relegation zone, reveled in ending Bayern’s dominance.

“Perhaps it’s healthy for the Bundesliga, also for German football, for another team to win,” said the Spaniard, who won three league titles with Bayern as a player.

Leverkusen’s triumph marks a watershed moment for the club, which has long lived in the shadow of its larger, more illustrious rivals. The pharmaceutical giant-backed outfit had previously finished as runners-up five times in the Bundesliga and once in the Champions League.

Thousands of jubilant fans stormed the pitch at the final whistle, waving flags and setting off flares in celebration of Leverkusen’s first league title since 1993.

“Not in Cologne and Düsseldorf, no, we’re at home here,” the club’s supporters sang, reveling in Leverkusen’s moment in the spotlight.